Liam Neeson Kick Ass... then Kills It!

Rating: 9/10 (22 August 2008)

This has got to be one of my favourite movies since The Rock. It's tone is unapologetic, and the action is hard hitting and extremely fast paced. It's been a long time since I saw bad guys being terminated so mercilessly and enjoyably. Liam Neeson is one of those people who's an actor first and everything else second, so this movie has emotion and a sense of purpose. That's something most movies that rely on just action could never have, because without a story to carry them they go flat when the action rests. Here there is a relentless drive to a definite end. Liam's acting is such that you never forget that there is a driving purpose behind it all.
A note on the fighting: since the Bourne series, there's been a (to me) welcome move towards using more realistic fighting systems in portraying a bit more realism. I see that the keysi system Liam learnt for Batman Begins didn't go to waste here. It's a great thing to see truly unconscionable bad guys being so brutally treated. I guess that's the magic of the make believe world of movies. You see things that you wish you'd see but know will never ever happen in real life.
The only thing that would have made it a bit better for me was if it had a bit more blood in it. From a fighting arts point of view, I would also have liked some wider shots to better appreciate the technicalities of some of Liam's moves. I was able to understand what he did almost all the time, but to others the cuts may be a bit too choppy and distracting. But really that's a small point that is just nitpicking.