STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful
Alex Lewis (Liam Neeson) is a renowned assassin, known for his consummate professionalism. However, on his latest assignment, he finds his target is Beatriz (Mia Sanchez), a teenage child, and refuses to complete his mission. This makes him a loose end to be cleared up his employers, a sinister child sex trafficking gang headed by the evil Davana Sealman (Monica Belluci.) Detectives Cerra (Guy Pearce) and Amsted (Taj Atwal) go on his trail, observing his handiwork, but as he heads on a mission of retribution, Lewis finds his memory playing tricks on him.
Well well, another day, another Liam Neeson action adventure film, springing up on Amazon Prime like his previous feature, The Marksman. The man who proves middle age is no obstacle to middle ground, is back with a vengeance in this gritty, unflinching thriller from decorated director Martin Campbell. This is a director who proves adept at gleaming the best from Neeson, and making the most of his chiselled, grunting action man appeal. And while it's a somewhat imperfect ride, in the unremarkable field of Neeson's action back catalogue, it's definitely one of the more accomplished ones.
While it gradually evolves in to a raw, solid film of its own making, it catastrophically breaks the cardinal rule of an effective thriller, which states that a strong, eye grabbing opening is a must, and sadly this suffers from a messy, convoluted opening that requires patience to develop in to something really satisfying. But as it goes on, and the story gains a sense of direction and purpose, it becomes more dynamic and compelling, with some sharp, stylish action sequences and a dark, dismal backdrop.
In the hit and miss field of Neeson and his later life action escapades, this is certainly on the higher end of the scale, even if it springs from such shaky foundations, and probably won't form any Taken style franchise. ***
Alex Lewis (Liam Neeson) is a renowned assassin, known for his consummate professionalism. However, on his latest assignment, he finds his target is Beatriz (Mia Sanchez), a teenage child, and refuses to complete his mission. This makes him a loose end to be cleared up his employers, a sinister child sex trafficking gang headed by the evil Davana Sealman (Monica Belluci.) Detectives Cerra (Guy Pearce) and Amsted (Taj Atwal) go on his trail, observing his handiwork, but as he heads on a mission of retribution, Lewis finds his memory playing tricks on him.
Well well, another day, another Liam Neeson action adventure film, springing up on Amazon Prime like his previous feature, The Marksman. The man who proves middle age is no obstacle to middle ground, is back with a vengeance in this gritty, unflinching thriller from decorated director Martin Campbell. This is a director who proves adept at gleaming the best from Neeson, and making the most of his chiselled, grunting action man appeal. And while it's a somewhat imperfect ride, in the unremarkable field of Neeson's action back catalogue, it's definitely one of the more accomplished ones.
While it gradually evolves in to a raw, solid film of its own making, it catastrophically breaks the cardinal rule of an effective thriller, which states that a strong, eye grabbing opening is a must, and sadly this suffers from a messy, convoluted opening that requires patience to develop in to something really satisfying. But as it goes on, and the story gains a sense of direction and purpose, it becomes more dynamic and compelling, with some sharp, stylish action sequences and a dark, dismal backdrop.
In the hit and miss field of Neeson and his later life action escapades, this is certainly on the higher end of the scale, even if it springs from such shaky foundations, and probably won't form any Taken style franchise. ***