Review of Run All Night (2015) by Christopher H — 16 Mar 2015

"Run All Night" is Liam Neeson's latest shoot-em-up. In "Run," Neeson is part of a mafia-like gang in Brooklyn. Neeson crosses paths with the godfather of the mafia when he slays the godfather's son to save his own son's life.

The mob boss (Ed Harris) concurrently puts a bounty out for Neeson and his son's heads, and Neeson and son have to spend the whole night trying to un-clusterfuck their mess and tie the loose ends together.

The film is a cat-and-mouse revenge thriller which becomes a psychological chess game and in which Neeson is hunted down Jason Bourne style and even has a contract taken out for his execution. Neeson's character is far from likeable; he has done sinister, inhumane acts, and his one last chance to redeem himself is to protect his estranged one, which I think he does a fine job doing.

While there is nothing revolutionary about this film, I thought it was suspenseful and largely entertaining. There are some minor narrative issues with the film, such as the uneven pacing and a sometimes muddled script, but Neeson is always able to take an average movie and elevate it with his charm and screen presence.

I also liked the dynamic between him and his son and there were actually characters in this film I could latch onto. It was a fun ride, though the movie is stylized popcorn fodder. The cops in this film are also dirty and paint a dog-eat-dog kind of metropolis where Neeson and his son only have each other to survive the night -------------------------------------------------------------------- B.