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Liam Neeson's Best Action Movies

Liam Neeson is Retiring From Action Movies. Here are His 4 Best Beatdown Flicks


  • Liam Neeson, 72, has claimed he is retiring from action movies.
  • The Irish actor famously led the Taken franchise, along with a string of blockbuster action hits.
  • Neeson suggests that he may step away from action films at “the end of next year”.

Liam Neeson is famous for having a very particular set of skills, but after a 40-year career that has earned him Academy, BAFTA and Golden Globe honours, the Irish actor is putting some of them to bed. In an interview with People, Neeson, 72, revealed that he is planning to step away from action films, citing the physically demanding nature of the projects as the key catalyst.

“I’m 72 — it has to stop at some stage,” Neeson said. “You can’t fool audiences.”

In the interview, Neeson explained that despite his age, he still performs all of his own fight scenes, leaving only the more extensive stunt work to longtime collaborator, Mark Vanselow. Together, the pair have made some of the most expansive and elaborate action films of the past two decades, most notably with the much-loved Taken franchise.

Originally released in 2008, Taken was a breakout smash that redefined Neeson’s career. Up until that point, the Irish screen legend was considered a stalwart of the drama genre, courtesy of his stellar performances in films such as Schindler’s List, Michael Collins and the Bile August film adaption of Victor Hugo’s romanticism classic Les Misérables. With Taken, Neeson stepped into a new role, embodying the tough but fair former CIA operative who will stop at nothing to save his kidnapped daughter.

The film was a box-office smash that immediately elevated Neeson to the action genre’s upper echelon. From there, Neeson went all-in on big-budget shoot-outs and fistfights, helming a string of formulaic but deeply entertaining action flicks. Many took place in unusual settings, such as trains and planes, but irrespective of locations, one thing remained consistent – if you messed with Liam Neeson, you paid the price.

With news that Neeson is considering retiring from the genre by the “end of next year”, it’s worth revisiting the Irish star’s remarkable action legacy. In honour of his long action career, here are the four best Liam Neeson action movies, as outlined by critics, IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes reviews.

Taken

  • Release date: 14 August 2008 (Australia)
  • Director: Pierre Morel
  • Budget: USD$25 million
  • Box office: USD$226.8 million
  • IMDb Rating: 7.7/10

“I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom I can tell you I don’t have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now that’ll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you, but if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you and I will kill you.”

While it certainly wasn’t his first foray into the genre, 2008’s Taken was the driving force behind Liam Neeson’s surprise emergence as an action star. Based on a script penned by Léon: The Professional and The Fifth Element filmmaker Luc Besson, alongside Robert Mark Kamen, Taken was the ultimate revenge story.

When retired Green Beret and CIA officer Bryan Mills (Neeson) has his daughter kidnapped while travelling in Europe, the concerned father jumps into action. Across 90 minutes of heart-stopping action, Neeson’s steely-eyed protagonist beats and maims his way through France en route to a violent conclusion with the man responsible for the crime.

As an action flick, Taken and its subsequent sequels deliver everything you could ask for. Light on storyline but high on adrenaline, the fight sequences are brutal and well choreographed, with Neeson’s unrelenting pursuit of justice adding some grounded reality to an otherwise ridiculous storyline. Perhaps Taken‘s most significant contribution, however, remains the now-iconic ‘Particular set of skills’ monologue. Often imitated but never bettered, Neeson’s promise of vengeance will forever go down as one of cinema’s great pieces of dialogue.

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

  • Release date: 3 June 1999 (Australia)
  • Director: George Lucas
  • Budget: USD$115 million
  • Box office: USD$1.046 billion
  • IMDb Rating: 6.5/10

Arguably the most anticipated film ever produced, Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace was a box-office phenomenon from the moment it premiered, generating over $1 billion in revenue. The first film in George Lucas’ prequel series took fans back to the beginning, recounting the origins of Darth Vader, however, it was Liam Neeson’s Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn who stole the show.

The Galactic Republic solider and his fledgling apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi, are tasked with negotiating a deal with Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray. When things go awry, the two Jedi masters narrowly escape death and take refuge on the outlying desert planet of Tatooine, far beyond the Republic’s jurisdiction. Here, they encounter a nine-year-old slave boy named Anakin Skywalker, who Qui-Gon prophecises may well be the “Chosen One” destined to restore balance to the Force.

Spoiler alert: Qui-Gon’s role as mentor to both Obi-Wan and Anakin is pivotal to the film’s inherent structure. His death at the hands of Darth Maul sets up the film’s third act, and his dying wish that Obi-Wan protect the young Jedi trainee contextualises the struggle for power that will play out over the next two instalments. The best scene is undoubtedly the three-way ‘Duel of Fates’ battle between Darth Maul, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, whihc features the highly memorable twirling lightsaber sequence.

Batman Begins

  • Release date: 16 June 2005 (Australia)
  • Director: Christopher Nolan
  • Budget: USD$150 million
  • Box office: USD$373.7 million
  • IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

When Christopher Nolan needed someone to play the enigmatic Henri Ducard, member of the League of Shadows and trainer of Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins, he turned to Liam Neeson. It was a masterstroke, with Neeson’s firm but fair mentor providing the perfect foil for Wayne’s naive optimism. The conflicting ideologies between master and apprentice come to a head when Wayne rejects the League and its mandate that killing is necessary, bringing Batman’s one true rule into reality. The clash of thoughts was the perfect lead-in to Nolan’s Batman trilogy and offered fans a unique look at how Bruce Wayne became The Dark Knight.

Neeson’s best scene in Batman Begins is ‘The Will to Act’ training sequence, where he fights Bruce on a glacier in Bhutan. The fluidity of his movements, combined with his imposing teachings, makes for a captivating sequence that feels as though it were pulled directly from the comic books. Of course, things take a turn for the worst when Bruce inadvertently burns down the League’s headquarters and leaves Ducard to pick up the pieces.

Spoiler alert: At the end of the film, Ducard is revealed as the true Ra’s al Ghul, the leader of the League of Shadows, when he returns to Gotham to destroy the city. The twist not only throws the identity of Ducard into question but also leverages Neeson’s traditional casting as a mentor. As Nolan mentioned in the DVD commentary for Batman Begins, the revelation that Neeson’s character was the main villain was intended to shock viewers due to its stark contract to his usual roles.

The Grey

  • Release date: 16 February 2012 (Australia)
  • Director: Joe Carnahan
  • Budget: USD$25 million
  • Box office: USD$81 million
  • IMDb Rating: 6.7/10

With a tagline that reads ‘Liam Neeson fights wolves in remote Alaska’, it’s little wonder The Grey is a cult favourite. Joe Carnahan’s 2012 flick details a bitter fight for survival in one of the world’s most treacherous terrains, but it isn’t the straightforward action movie you might expect.

When a plane crashes in remote Alaska, the survivors must trudge across the unforgiving landscape in hopes of salvation. Neeson’s John Ottway, full of resentment and bitter regret, assumes the lead role, directing the men through the brutal snow and ice, however, they aren’t alone. The group is mercilessly hunted by a pack of wild wolves that will do anything to protect their territory. One by one, the crew members succumb to either the conditions or the beasts, leaving Ottway alone and outnumbered.

Throughout the movies, Neeson provides an engrossing and hollow narration that sets the tone for the bleak picture. His layered performance is a stark departure from the simple and formulaic nature we’re used to seeing in the action genre, with The Grey containing some extraordinarily moving sequences I’ve witnessed on screen. Naturally, there is also some good old-fashioned ass-kicking, which never goes astray.