3 Movies That Prove Liam Neeson Is The Best Action Star

As a famous Key & Peele speech memorably emphasized, Liam Neeson is a beloved modern action movie institution. Once known for his gravitas-infused portrayals of historical figures, 2009’s Taken forever changed the man’s career trajectory. Not only was the phrase “a particular set of skills” now something that belonged to Neeson, but he was now a go-to face for grounded action fare. In the last 16 years, audiences have been inundated with countless action films and thrillers making use of Neeson’s deftness with simulating punches. 

Inevitably, when you have such a dense reputation in action cinema, some titles will end up being better than others. So it is with Neeson, who’s scored three particular star vehicles that really soared in showing his action movie chops. Each of these films occupies a wildly different strain of action cinema and some even inhabit unique eras of action movie history. However, all three are bonded by the awesomeness of Liam Neeson action cinema, which is so inescapable that even Key & Peele had to dedicate a whole sketch to it. 

Darkman

17 years before Taken, pre-Schindler’s List Liam Neeson anchored Sam Raimi’s first straightforward superhero movie, Darkman. This feature, a mixture of vigilant superhero movies and classic Universal monsters tales, saw Neeson playing a man who becomes so disfigured that he wraps himself up in bandages and becomes the vengeful crime-fighter Darkman. This title is, like many Raimi directorial efforts, a fusion of old-school pop culture touchstones. However, Neeson gives Darkman’s titular lead something distinctly new in the form of emotional immediacy. Even when his face is obscured, Neeson still communicates such tangible angst and turmoil in Darkman. 

Plus, he proves a convincing figure in the stories more action-heavy sequences. Though Darkman emerged during Neeson’s most successful epoch of dramatic acting, this actor lent that same level of dedication to realizing a crime-fighter duking it out with baddies in alleyways. Though he’d later mentor crime-fighters like Bruce Wayne/Batman, Neeson’s comfort with action movie cinema served him well actually being a superhero himself in Darkman. 

[RELATED: Darkman Arrives On 4K Blu-ray With a Limited Edition Steelbook]

Run All Night

Director Jaume Collet-Serra and Neeson teamed up multiple times in the 2010s to create action thrillers reminiscent of Taken. This included major box office hits like Unknown and Non-Stop. One of their lower grossing collaborations however also proved to be a creative high point for both men. 2015’s Run All Night didn’t light the box office on fire, but it’s endured as a tremendously entertaining crime thriller. This title see’s Neeson playing elderly hitman Jimmy Condon who has a strained relationship with his adult son, Mike (Joel Kinnaman). A series of gruesome circumstances leave Jimmy’s old boss, Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris), swearing revenge on Jimmy by killing Mike, who is far removed from the criminal underworld.

From there, Jimmy and Mike are forced to stick together across New York City for one fateful night as they evade Shawn and all the assassins he’s sent after the duo. The results are extremely fun, with Collet-Serra showing real visual inspiration in conjuring up fun action sequences for the mismatched pair to navigate. Neeson, for his part, really sells the intimate problems of this pained father/son dynamic, which makes the action sequences extra engaging. Plus, this actor just absolutely nails the delightfully maximalist action beats of Run All Night, chiefly a cheer-worthy climactic moment where Jimmy swings a rifle around before firing it. Collet-Serra and Neeson have worked together many times, but Run All Night is, without question, the peak of their collaborations. 

The A-Team

Believe it or not, Neeson’s not a fan of his 2010 movie The A-Team. In the years since its release, Neeson has openly said that, while revisiting this film, he couldn’t follow what on Earth was going on. It might not have been Neeson’s cup of tea, but it’s still one of his greatest action movies. Both the ludicrous nature of the original A-Team TV show and the heightened legend of Neeson’s Taken action movie persona (already firmly established 17 months after Taken’s debut) inform how endlessly preposterous The A-Team is. This feature is employing source material and actors already considered outlandish by audiences. Why not create action sequences hinged on things like a “flying” tank? Or helicopters nonchalantly driving around bustling cities?

It’s all so ridiculous, but Neeson’s the perfect person to anchor it all. He’s the anti-Ryan Reynolds in his stalwart refusal to deliver cheeky self-deprecating lines about the blockbuster chaos swirling around him. This trait makes it all the easier to get swept up in The A-Team’s gloriously bonkers style of big-budget mayhem. Plus, the sight of a dramatic score like Neeson dabbling in such ludicrous action sequences (and looking perfectly natural there) proves surprisingly resilient in its entertainment value. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Similarly, what Neeson saw as incomprehensible really reflected a great mixture of talented dramatic performer and joyfully nonsensical mayhem.

The A-Team is available to purchase or rent from digital retailers.