Ever since his Taken series I am all here for anything with Liam Neeson kicking some butt. Sure, not all are winners, but I will always be there to find out. As of late he has backed away from the more physical action roles, but still bringing more options to the genre. His latest film, Absolution reteams him with Cold Pursuit director Hans Petter Moland but could this film offer up more of what we love about Neeson, or will it be something more forgetful?
 

Absolution follows an aging gangster who attempts to reconnect with his children and rectify the mistakes in his past, but the criminal underworld won't loosen their grip willingly. The film features Yolonda Ross, Frankie Shaw, Daniel Diemer, Javier Molina, Jimmy Gonzales, Josh Drennen, Deanna Nayr Tarraza, Terrence Pulliam, and Ron Perlman.

 

I know that a lot of Neeson’s more recent action films have been hit and miss but he took a step back to something grounded and deep with his last film In the Land of Saints and Sinners which was fantastic. This latest film feels more in that same territory in overall tone and execution, once again bringing something more grounded and dramatic to his action pieces. I wasn’t sure what the tone was going to be here, but the drama takes center stage to deliver a strong film.

 

Neeson is so good here with him having to walk the line of his usual tough persona through the lens of an aging mob guy but also showing the depths of his struggles with the issues with his memory. This film reminds me in some ways of the recent film Knocks Goes Away with elements of Memento that really pulls into the drama in this world of violence. This film goes all in to embrace it and never loses its focus trying to be an action movie, but instead just brings some action moments that fit together perfectly.

 

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