Liam Neeson is back in “Run All Night,” an action flick set in New York. This time, he is out to save his son from mobsters and crooked cops who are out to kill them both. Time Warner Cable News film critic Neil Rosen filed this review.
After the success of the movie "Taken," Liam Neeson's career took a very different turn and he became an action star. His latest shoot em' up thriller is called "Run All Night."
Neeson is Jimmy Conlon, a lifelong hit man for a mob boss played by Ed Harris. Jimmy is estranged from his son, Michael, who lives a straight and narrow life as a limo driver. Michael ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Harris's son winds up dead at the hand of Neeson.
With revenge on his mind, Harris wants an eye for an eye, but Neeson's plea is to no avail. So in a spin on the popular "Taken" formula, Neeson once again goes into protective parent mode, utilizing his special set of kill skills and doing whatever it takes to get his son out of danger.
As the title implies, father and son, who have not had to deal with each other in decades, are on the run all night from mob henchman and crooked cops.
Director Jaume Collet-Serra, who has been down this action movie road before with Neeson, employs some neat visual tricks, expertly showcasing locations all over New York City.
Neeson has come to excel at playing these types of characters and he gives fans of his action hero shtick exactly what they want.
Playing a drunken assassin who is looking for some sort of redemption, by saving his good-as-gold only child, Neeson, along with the director, give you something to root for. They load the film with several exciting, though obligatory, chase scenes and shootouts, where the body count is very high.
Ed Harris and Vincent D'Onforio as an honest cop, add some stature to the proceedings.
The movie is predictable and obvious, and it also feels a bit long, but who cares? It is a fun action flick with Neeson, doing what he does best these days - yielding satisfying results.
Neil Rosen’s Big Apple Rating: Three Apples