Seven years ago, Liam Neeson claimed he was quitting the action genre. Now, years later, and with an additional nine films in the bag, Neeson really wants us to believe that he’s now actually done.
“I’m 72 — it has to stop at some stage,” Neeson tells PEOPLE. “You can’t fool audiences. I don’t want [stunt double] Mark to be fighting my fight scenes for me […] By the end of next year, I think that’s it.”
Neeson’s initial foray into the action genre started with 2009’s “Taken,” still the best one he’s made, and this led to the actor finding a second act as an action movie star, and connecting with a wide global audience.
Ever since “Taken,” Neeson has been starring in his own brand of revenge-styled thrillers, the list speaks for itself: “Taken,” “Taken 2,” “Taken 3,” “The A-Team,” “Unknown,” “The Grey,” “Non-Stop,” “Run All Night,” “A Walk Among Tombstones,” “The Commuter,” “Cold Pursuit,” “Honest Thief,” “The Marksman,” “The Ice Road,” “Blacklight,” “Memory,” and “Retribution.” That’s 17 action movies in the last 15 years.
At this point, the “Taken” formula has been so severely overused that you don’t even need to know what a new Liam Neeson movie will look like — you just get what you pay for.
Neeson is a major draw in foreign countries, with his name being financially structured for overseas audiences, stretching from Asia to the Middle East. And that’s the issue that comes with being Neeson these days; his audience stretches far beyond the States and into global territory, the payday is hefty, but narrative risks must be replaced by very familiar theatrics.
Of course, amidst Neeson turning into a bonafide easy pay-day conglomerate, Neeson had the time to star in Martin Scorsese’s artfully resonant “Silence” in 2019. Neeson used to take risks as an actor, and his filmography still includes some formidable performances (“Schindler’s List,” “Kinsey,” “Michael Collins”), but will he even go back to that? He’s currently shooting a “Naked Gun” reboot starring Pamela Anderson.
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