“Liam Neeson Returns as the National Father in ‘Honest Thief’: Exploring the True Test of Character Amidst Wealth”
After announcing his “retirement” from the action film industry in 2015, Liam Neeson surprised everyone by playing the main role in the masterpiece The Return of the Honest Thie
Although he announced that he would stop acting in action movies in 2015, 5 years later, Liam Neeson reappeared, making the audience curious and excited in Honest Thief. In the movie, the Taken star plays the role of super thief Tom Carter.
Because he met the true love of his life, Tom Carter decided to make amends and proactively called the police to hand over the huge amount of money he had stolen.
But it turns out that being a good person is not easy when there are many other forces trying to steal that money, and he and his lover are pushed into a dangerous spiral.
Tom Carter must use all his “fighting” experience from many years of being a super thief to both defend and attack to block the enemy’s moves and at the same time protect his girlfriend from danger.
Not only does it impress with its captivating plot, the film also carries the message: Money is the easiest test of a person’s heart.
The return of “national father” Liam Neeson
But instead of still having an aggressive and strong image like Agent Bryan searching for his daughter in Taken, the character Tom is strong in mind and at the same time wishes for a peaceful life with as few events as possible.
In fact, Phi Vu Hoan Luong also leads viewers to a family-threatening situation like Taken. However, male lead Tom Carter chooses a defensive stance rather than proactively attacking like previous films.
In any case, Tom himself is still a man who has been involved in prison, so any move must be careful, especially when Tom’s “enemies” are the police.
Tom Carter is the character who maintains the balance of the entire Honest Thief story line, shown through his wise steps in planning to fight back against the enemy, as well as his emotional aspect for his girlfriend Annie, who is also is in dire straits because of being pursued.
Although he is no longer in his prime like Taken, Liam Neeson is still strong enough to overwhelm the audience with few but quality fight scenes.
In addition, Liam Neeson also successfully expressed a series of emotions of a man whose loved ones are in danger, from panic and worry when realizing that Annie was harmed to a strong will and resistance to fight back. .
The plot exploits the dark side of money
Right from the moment the super thief To Dolan picked up the phone to call the police, Honest Thief clearly distinguished the two main hostile forces of the film.
One side is the male protagonist with the desire to rebuild his life, the other side is the fallen police officers. All for a mountain of money that belongs to no one.
Honest Thie pushes the temptation of money directly, without hiding it. For money, Tom swept 12 banks and brought back 9 million dollars, and now regrets his past sins in front of his girlfriend.
Because of money, honest policemen like John Nivens and Ramon Hall suddenly broke down, stopping at nothing to take money from Tom.
The two initially did not know each other and had no enmity, but with their desire for material things, they pushed each other into life and death without realizing that their family was still there, waiting for them to return home safely every day.
The characters’ life stories are promoted, and even the villains have hidden corners worth pondering
Honest Thief is a pure action movie but still succeeds in building character lines from good to evil, something that many other movies of the same genre ignore.
The audience can realize that male protagonist Tom has come to a point where he longs for a new, peaceful life with his lover Annie after many years of being a super thief.
But once Annie’s life is threatened, Tom does not hesitate to “turn on revenge mode”, ready to destroy anyone who stands in his way.
Even the villains and supporting characters of Honest Thie also have notable side stories.
Hall is always confused between the morality of a police officer and the desire to get money because his family is in misery and need.
Besides, there is also police officer Sean, who has just divorced and often takes his dog Tazzie to the office to relieve his loneliness.
According to him, his wife left and chose the house, leaving him and the dog to depend on each other. Small stories told through a few lines like this help the characters become more memorable and relatable.
Honest Thief integrates a familiar but profound story, not every sinner cannot be redeemed and even the most righteous people can have evil intentions.
The confrontations in Honest Thie are not only physical but also psychological. The ideological conflict between Tom and the fallen police association, as well as the magic of money, pushed them into a lose-lose situation.
In the end, only those who have a beginner’s mind and can overcome temptation can be happy.
