Taken

Film Review: Blacklight opts for an emotional and political edge over standard action thrills

It’s almost hard to believe there was a time before Liam Neeson took an almost exclusive stance on the midrange-budgeted actioner where his character, usually an operative in some form or another, possessed enough of a skillset to inflict pain on an interchangeable villain.  It’s been the actor’s go-to for almost 15 years, and whilst…

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Film Review: The Ice Road is a by-the-numbers actioner buoyed by a surprising emotional current

Seemingly defined at this point in his career by the grizzly, no-nonsense avenger-types he encapsulates – first realised in the 2008 actioner Taken – The Ice Road eases up on Liam Neeson‘s menacing persona and gives his somewhat-everyman a blue collar temperament. He’s still out there risking his life, mind you, but it’s comparatively slightly…

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Tribeca Film Festival Review: Catch The Fair One is a vigilante tale of stark realism

Invoking notes of revenge thrillers like Death Wish and Taken, but adhering to a female edge that lends the film a more calculating temperament, Catch The Fair One is a gritty thriller that survives more on its emotional mindset rather than gratuitous violence. Headlined and anchored by real-life boxer Kali Reis (who also serves as…

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Film Review: Honest Thief fails to make even the most generic genre tropes engaging

Given how many lightweight actioners Liam Neeson has aligned himself with in the last decade or so, you’d be forgiven for not being able to differentiate them from one another given how they have all basically bled into each other.  There’s nothing inherently wrong with this late-in-the-game career change for the gruff Irish actor –…

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Taken prequel casts lead

NBC’s prequel to the Liam Neeson thriller films of the same name has found its Bryan Mills. Vikings-star Clive Standen is set to play a younger incarnation of Neeson’s character, with the series set to show audiences the story behind his ‘specific set of skills’. Standen is primarily known for his work on Vikings as Rollo. Alexander Cary is set…

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