I'm starting to think that Liam Neeson really has a drinking problem, because this is another movie with him as an ex-alcoholic or alcoholic. In "Non-stop" and "A Walk Among the Tombstones" he could shake off the addiction. In "Run all night" he's trying to suppress his sorrow by constantly consuming liquor. Neeson prefers the action genre nowadays apparently. After more serious work in the past such as "Schindler's List", "Nell", "K19", "Gangs of New York" and "Kinsey", he's focusing on action. Sadly enough he got stuck in the same mould. It's clear that the audience appreciates this kind of movies with Neeson, because last year the third part of "Taken" has been released . Neeson as the bitter, fierce and energetic ex-police or ex-gangster who has to compete against several vengeful opponents. It sounds and looks pretty clichéd but nevertheless there's a guarantee for pounding thrills and action-packed scenes.
Neeson plays the role of Jimmy Conlon, a hit-man who has stowed away his gun and goes through life full of remorse for what he has done wrong in the past. In "Run all night" he's not only attacked by an entire pack of gangsters who are out for revenge cause he has killed the son of his former boss and good friend Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris) (in self-defense to save his son Mike from a certain death), almost the complete New York police force who for years (especially police officer Harding) are trying to arrest Jimmy and his associates (the lack of evidence prevents them from doing so) and the hit-man Andrew Price (Common) who acts as energetic and determined as "The Professor" in "The Bourne Identity". But Jimmy also fights his own personal battle with his son Mike (Joel "Robocop" Kinnaman) who doesn't want him to be part of his life again, because of Jimmy's past. The end result is the two running and hiding all night. And that's where the film title comes from.
Despite being 63 years old, Neeson still convinces as true action hero. And apparently the director Jaume Collet-Serra is also convinced about that, because this is the third movie he makes with Neeson (after "Unknown" and "Non-stop"). The only difference with other iconic action heroes is that Neeson also has a lot of acting talent. The interactions between him and Harris are probably the most enjoyable in this movie. Two cynical veterans with their own tragedy and bitterness. The meeting between the two fighting cocks in a local pub was for me one of the highlights in this action packed movie. Joel Kinnaman fulfills his duty as the son who's full of anger and needs to use more acting techniques here than in "Robocop", where you could only see chin.
Furthermore you can expect what's always used in such typical films: tough fights, when the time comes there's a hail of bullets, explosions, burning rubber with matching material damage and this all infused with a bit of tragedy. Not very original in other words. The number of casualties increases slowly but surely until the end credits. There's obviously a lot of running around. And together with the sustained action and impressing camera technology, this ensures that the pace stays intense. The images with the camera cleaving through the air and zooming into the next location, was thrilling and extremely successful.
Altogether "Run all night" is a driven movie full of mindless action and visually intense, supported by wonderful acting of the three protagonists. Both the feud between Jimmy and Shawn, and the interactions between father and son make for some quality acting moments. But it is not really surprising.
More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT