Run All Night Keep Running Neeson

In 20 years, nobody is going to be able to remember if Run All Night was another entry in the Taken franchise or a standalone feature. The recent career of Liam Neeson has created so many middling action-thrillers that they’ve all begun to blend together. Whether or not he’s Bryan Mills, the feeling remains that he’s playing the same character. Even the back story he’s given in this film – that of a washed-up ex-mafia member who’s estranged from his only son – doesn’t serve to change this perception. He is “Action Neeson” – not Jimmy Conlon, as he’s called in this film – someone who can overpower anyone in a fist fight and best anyone in a shootout. Interestingly, three of these Action Neeson movies have been directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, although the only one that’s really any good is Unknown. Collet-Serra was also behind Non-Stop, which put Action Neeson on a plane, and Run All Night, which puts him in New York City. This time around, his son, Michael (RoboCop‘s Joel Kinnaman), witnesses a murder committed by Danny Maguire (Boyd Holbrook), the son of former mafia boss Shawn (Ed Harris). Shawn and Jimmy used to work together and maintain friendly relations – that is, until Jimmy kills Danny, after Danny tries to cover up the crime by trying to kill Mike. Family before friends, I guess. Shawn sends his entire force out to kill both Jimmy and Mike, so they have to try to survive the night by running and shooting their way through various faceless henchmen. Mike has a wife and two children, with another on the way, so you know it’s important that he makes it out alive. Of course, Liam Neeson is as fun as he always is to watch. He gets to be a little more profane and wisecracking here, given the film’s R rating, although his transition from layabout drunk to know-it-all father is jarring, given that it takes about one scene. Joel Kinnaman seems to have forgotten that he’s not supposed to be playing the emotionless RoboCop, as he is utterly bland in what essentially amounts to the sidekick role. Ed Harris gets a few fun scenes as the villain, but his character is underwritten to the point that he can only be recognized as “the villain.” Génesis Rodríguez is in this movie for a few scenes and is given nothing to do. And, hey, Vincent D’Onofrio shows up as the one and only incorruptible cop. He also does very little. It’s Neeson’s movie, and that’s almost too bad; the supporting cast and their individual places in this world would make for a more interesting film. When it comes to the recent crop of Liam Neeson action movies, Run All Night is certainly one of them. You see one of these and you’ve basically seen them all. It’s nowhere near as bad as something like Taken 3, but since Jaume Collet-Serra already made Unknown, which might wind up being the best of the bunch when all’s said and done, you’re better off watching that. Bottom Line: This is a generic movie that skips over its interesting aspects in favor of boring shootouts and chase scenes. It’s not offensively terrible, but wasting almost two hours of your life on it isn’t recommended. Recommendation: This is the sort of thing that you watch late at night on cable because you can’t sleep. [rating=2]