Walking into Run All Night is like being served with the cold main course you’ve had plenty of times before; the familiar ingredients register on your palate before you’ve have a chance to taste the meal.

This is after all not just any other Liam Neeson film from the celebrated actor’s wide range of work, but an action film; an action film where Neeson is fighting for the survival of his kin against members of organised crime one bullet, one stranglehold, one car crash, and one one-liner at a time.

Somewhere in this review is an opportunity for an overused joke about bad guys making the fatal mistake of going after Liam Neeson’s family, but I won’t bother. After all, not everyone has the skill to milk an old cow long after she should have been sent to the great barnyard in the sky.

Run All Night treads all too familiar ground

As it turns out, director Jaume Collet-Serra is a filmmaker who does.

Run All Night may be a very recognisable ride, but it is a fairly thrilling one. This is mostly due to performances in the film from its three lead actors who command screen presence by simply walking into a scene. As a former Irish mob hitman nicknamed The Gravedigger, Liam Neeson (Jimmy Conlon) fits into his role of an aging assassin as neatly as an old glove. This is Neeson at his best; an endearing character for audiences in spite of his questionable life choices.

Playing Neeson’s old friend and ex-boss is Ed Harris (Shawn Maguire), who is now out to kill the Conlon family after a series of events lead to the execution of his son at the hands of The Gravedigger. The chemistry between the two veterans is palpable and often ignites the film.

This is Neeson at his best; an endearing character for audiences in spite of his questionable life choices. Playing Neeson’s old friend and ex-boss is Ed Harris (Shawn Maguire). The chemistry between the two veterans is palpable and often ignites the film.

Another actor in Run All Night familiar with crime films is Joel Kinnaman (Easy Money). Here, Joel takes up the role of Jimmy’s estranged son, an ex-boxer who has rejected his criminal father and tries to make an honest living when not volunteering to help children in his spare time. Unfortunately for Joel, things suddenly take a turn for the worse when he is unwittingly involved with a few unsavory Albanian drug dealers.

Fans of Taken will wonder what the country of Albania has done to offend Liam Neeson. He has after all slaughtered enough Albanians on film to fit a small province. Did they once reject his application for a tourist visa? I wouldn’t be surprised if Liam Neeson asked his agent to only accept scripts that allow him to get his hands on some evil Albanians.

Jaume Collet-Serra’s film certainly benefits from excellent choreography. The fierce action scenes here are gritty and ultraviolent, and as engaging as any other blood and guts film in recent memory. These scenes are shot through some fancy camera angles that add plenty of style to the film.

Where Run All Night falls short on gas is towards its third act when the plot starts to feel a little long-winded making the clichés more difficult to swallow. Run All Night may run efficiently on its familiar ground, but ultimately, it is familiar ground none the less.

Rated R for strong violence, language including sexual references, and some drug use

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, April 5th, 2015

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