Over the past seven or eight years, we’ve seen actor Liam Neeson play too many tough guys to count.
He’s so effective at playing guys you wouldn’t want to mess with that he’s made a mini-industry out of it. By now, if I ever crossed paths with the star, I’d almost expect him to grab me in a headlock and snap my neck like a twig.
Run All Night continues the tradition as Neeson portrays a protagonist who possesses a unique set of skills that make him very, very difficult to kill. This time out, he’s an ex-mob enforcer known affectionately (and not-so-affectionately) by his nickname, Jimmy “The Gravedigger”. Jimmy is an alcoholic who lives a lonely life in New Jersey estranged from his son, Mike (Joel Kinnaman). When Mike witnesses a hit, Jimmy steps in to help protect his kin. Unfortunately, this incurs the wrath of Jimmy’s former employer (Ed Harris), who demands an eye for an eye.
It’s all very familiar territory as the two take to the streets and avoid capture from both gangland assassins and crooked cops on the take. However, it is also a lot of fun to watch this cast chew some scenery. Harris sinks his teeth into a meaty part and supporting roles are essayed by an incredible collection of grizzled veterans that include Vincent D’Onofrio, Bruce McGill and Nick Nolte. There’s so much hard-boiled, low-volume growling on display one almost expects stray dogs to wander into frame at any moment and join in.
Director Jaume Collet-Serra (Non-Stop, Unknown) knows the ropes and adds a few little touches to elevate the familiar material. There’s slightly more attention paid to developing the characters early on. Jimmy is a killer, but Neeson has enough time to make his struggle for redemption relatable. This role involves a man who can’t really escape the decisions of his past, and the actor manages a few nuanced moments of reflection (between the bursts of gunfire).
When the two men go on-the-run, the action doesn’t let up. Viewers are treated to an impressive car chase and a sequence that involves a hunt for a witness through an apartment with a fire blazing, cops outside and an assassin (Common) in pursuit. There are a few nice visual touches, including elaborate transitions that hurtle the camera through the city from one location to another.
Interestingly enough, it’s the sound design that really stands out as above average. At one point, two characters hunt each other in a railroad yard filled with cars. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before in similar pictures. Still, it manages to be effective. They barely speak, yet it is a surprisingly tense sequence. As they slowly sneak around, every footstep is amplified and each pebble on the ground crunches loudly. It adds tension, making the audience uneasy and leaving them wondering if each step has potentially given away a character’s position.
There isn’t a lot that comes as a surprise in this story, yet the cast and stylistic touches manage to make it an enjoyable experience. It isn’t a classic, but I’d personally rank it in the top half of Neeson tough-guy pictures from the past decade. In the end, Run All Night does its simple job with enough style and efficiency to earn reward.