‘Absolution’ Review – The Rust Is Showing on Liam Neeson’s Particular Set of Skills

Wake up, kiddo. It’s time to take your annual dose of another Liam Neeson action movie. Ever since starring in the viral smash-hit Taken, Liam Neeson has become the king of “old man action movies,” even surpassing veterans in the field like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger with the sheer number of action films he’s starred in recent years. It’s not challenging to understand why. Neeson has not only proven time and time again to still be more than capable of holding his own in a fight scene, but he’s also a genuinely great actor capable of balancing complicated emotions amid all the action.

That being said, the overall track record of Liam Neeson’s meme-worthy number of action films is fairly mixed, particularly the ones from the past few years. For every solid entry like The Grey and Non-Stop, there’s always a more standard action spectacle like Memory and Retribution. Overall, Liam Nesson’s latest action feature film, Absolution, is more in the latter category of films, as it’s not only very similar to other similar crime thrillers, it doesn’t really differentiate itself enough from even other Liam Neeson films.

‘Absolution’ Is Less of an Action Film and More of a Character Drama

Directed by Hans Petter Moland (who previously worked with Neeson on 2019’s Cold Pursuit), Absolution sees Neeson as a stoic enforcer who has been working for the same crime lord (Ron Perlman) for the past three decades. His life gets thrown for a loop when he is diagnosed with an aggressive form of dementia and is given only a few years before his mind completely deteriorates. This existential crisis gives our rough-around-the-edges anti-hero a chance to reflect on his past decisions and try to reconnect with his family.

Liam Neeson continues to show his skill in the action field with his infectious charisma and willingness to get involved in the fight choreography, but Absolution doesn’t have much for hardcore action film fans. Thankfully, Absolution is stronger in the drama department, which is the film’s bread and butter. The extensive majority of the film focuses on Absolution‘s central protagonist confronting his mortality and coming to terms with his past mistakes. Apart from some fairly goofy and cartoony dream sequences that see Neeson’s character on a boat in the middle of the ocean, as well as some choppy editing, Absolution does succeed in making Neeson’s regretful criminal a compelling character, and that’s in enormous part thanks to Neeson himself.

Liam Neeson Is as Consistent as Ever in ‘Absolution’

Absolution does indeed make great employ of Liam Neeson’s talents as an actor, as his performance is the film’s absolute highlight. The same coarse and gruff personality that made his roles in films like Taken such a delight is on full display here as well. He still manages to be a convincing presence as a criminal who has had more than enough of his fair share of lying and scheming. Underneath that coarse exterior lies a more vulnerable character that Neeson also nails very well. Some of the film’s best moments involve Neeson’s facial expressions and mannerisms to show a frustrated man losing his grip on reality. Neeson undoubtedly does a competent job with what he is given, but unfortunately, the material he is given is often made up of some very forgettable and generic dialogue.

The lackluster writing and dialogue also negatively impact the other actors and characters of the film, who all fill familiar tropes. Yolonda Ross as the dotting and concerned girlfriend as well as Frankie Shaw as the estranged daughter all feel like characters that have been drowning in an hidden background over and over again in these types of films, and even though they’re vital to the plot, their importance feels undermined because of how uninteresting they are as characters. Absolution also completely wastes the talents of Ron Perlman. Where Perlman has already shown he can play an intimidating mob boss in films like Drive, his character here is a borderline cameo that offers nothing in terms of interest.

‘Absolution’ Can’t Escape the Shadow of Other Liam Neeson Films

Absolution is frankly trying so challenging to be a Liam Neeson film that it forgets to give Liam Neeson anything distinct or intriguing to do. It’s straightforward to see this because the very same concepts that Absolution is utilizing have all been used in other films Neeson has starred in. The entire main premise of Neeson being an aging enforcer who wants to get out of the game is so incredibly similar to Run All Night and In the Land of Saints and Sinners, both of which offer the thrills and action that Absolution severely lacks.

This isn’t even the first Liam Neeson film where he plays an action hero with a mental decline. Not even two years ago, Neeson starred in the fittingly titled Memory, where he played another trained assassin who starts to forget key details about his life. While granted, Absolution seems more concerned with being a character drama than a full-blown action picture, it’s impossible not to think of the other previous entries in Liam Neeson’s filmography.

In miniature, Absolution doesn’t do nearly enough to set itself apart from the virtually identical pack within Liam Neeson’s action resume. It’s frustratingly insistent on rehashing its star actor’s past despite being a story all about coming to terms with one’s history. While the film does make an admirable effort to focus on Neeson’s action hero as a true character rather than a mere blunt instrument for fight scenes, but thanks to an overly cliché screenplay, the movie will likely be another forgettable action film in Neeson’s filmography.

A forceful performance from Liam Neeson can’t save ‘Absolution’ from inevitably fading into obscurity.

Pros

• Liam Neeson delivers another solid performance that balances action and drama.

Cons

• A cast full of generic side characters.
• Writing and dialogue that feels like it could come from any Liam Neeson action flick.
• Some choppy editing in and out of the fight sequences.

Absolution is in theaters now. Click below for showtimes.

Get Tickets