The Marksman (2021)

 The Marksman (2021)

 

3/10

 

Starring

Liam Neeson

Katheryn Winnick

Juan Pablo Raba

Teresa Ruiz

 

Directed by Robert Lorenz

 

Here is something I saw during the pandemic, Liam Neeson’s The Marksman is all promise and no delivery. This action thriller is predictable to a fault. The movie sets up an interesting premise, making you think it will be another one-man army film where Neeson’s character takes on the cartel and wins. Instead, we get Jim (Neeson) running from the cartel for most of the movie, only to handle things "the Neeson way" when cornered.

Jim’s character is a disappointment, with a plan that makes absolutely no sense. He’s on the run from the cartel with a kid they want dead. To complicate things, Jim is also a target because, during their first encounter, he killed a cartel member’s relative. If you’ve seen this kind of setup before, you can probably guess exactly where things are going—and you’d be right.

After intervening in the kid and his mother’s attempted escape, Jim’s actions lead to a gunfight at the border, resulting in the mother’s death. Before she dies, she entrusts Jim with the responsibility of getting her son to relatives in Chicago. She was on the run because her brother stole money from the cartel, which is later discovered in her possession.

The movie also introduces Jim’s stepdaughter, who works for border police. The boy initially ends up in their custody, but Jim manages to steal him away in the most ridiculous way imaginable. Seriously, what a porous police station. So, Jim and the boy head to Chicago, while the cartel chases after them, leaving a trail of death and destruction.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that this movie could’ve been so much more. That hope disappeared when it became clear Neeson’s character was going to be another sad, lonely man with nothing to lose. Adding to my frustration was the cliché bar speech from an ex-soldier, lamenting how he gave everything to his country only to be abandoned when he returned home.

Neeson’s performance is the only thing holding this movie together, but even he can’t salvage the weak plot and poor delivery. The rest of the cast doesn’t stand out, though that’s more a fault of the script not pushing them to be impressive, than their acting.

The movie had a theatrical release, which, considering the pandemic, isn’t half bad. I would not recommend that you see this movie, and if you have totally missed it, then I wish I was you.