Liam Neeson’s Transition: From Action Films to Political Dramas”

Liam Neeson has transformed into many characters in many action movies such as The A-Team, Non-Stop and A Walk Among the Tombstones since Taken was an unexpected success in 2009.

Multi-talented actor Liam Neeson does not choose one-color roles but challenges himself with many different types of characters. But no matter what genre he participates in, Neeson’s action roles still have a special place in the hearts of many audiences.

At the age of 70 the actor announced that he would give up action movies to return to roles that helped him get nominated for an Oscar like in Schindler’s List. Before enjoying Neeson’s latest work in the political genre, let’s also look back at the best action works of his career.

1. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (Star Wars: Episode I – Phantom Menace – 1999)

This is a prequel to the Star Wars trilogy but was filmed after the previous three parts because director George Lucas thought that technology at that time did not allow him to make the film as he wanted.

The film begins with the scene of two Jedi knights Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), representing the Jedi council, intervening to mediate a dispute between the trade federation and the planet Naboo.

When reconciliation fails, two Jedi knights must escort Queen Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) to escape. On the way to the planet Coruscant to find a way to reconcile the conflict, they had to visit the planet Tatooine to find materials to repair the spacecraft.

Here, Qui-Gon Jinn meets the slave boy Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) and he believes that the boy, with strange talents, will be a knight who brings peace to the chaotic universe.

Although the Star Wars trilogy was a huge success, the long-awaited prequel left many fans disappointed due to its overly complicated script, some problematic effects, and the appearance of a redundant character named Jar Jar Binks.

As a result, the film received mixed reactions and was only rated 57% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, one thing that did not disappoint the audience was Liam Neeson’s transformation into Jedi knight Qui-Gon Jinn.

In a comment published in Entertainment Weekly, “If there is any actor who kept The Phantom Menace from completely failing, it is Liam Neeson.” And although it was critically criticized, the film’s current revenue has reached more than $1 billion USD worldwide.

2. Taken (2009

Any list of Liam Neeson’s best roles would always be incomplete without mentioning his transformation as a former CIA agent and father who would stop at nothing to save his daughter, Bryan Mills.

In the movie, human traffickers kidnap Bryan’s daughter Kim while she is traveling in France. Mills knew something bad had happened to his son, so he immediately told his ex-wife the news.

Bryan’s close friend told him that Kim’s kidnappers were Albanians. They often kidnapped women to sell abroad as sex slaves. If Bryan did not save Kim within 96 hours, he would lose her forever. . After that, he went alone to Paris to save his daughter.

Although not highly appreciated by critics, Taken is considered a film that marks Liam Neeson’s spectacular return to the action genre after Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999). Besides, the beautiful action scenes and eye-catching fights performed by Neeson were also praised. The film’s global revenue also reached $226.8 million, much larger than the original $25 million budget.

3. Gangs of New York (2002)

The film is set in Manhattan in the 1860s, when Five Points intersection was still a dark area and gathered the most exiles in the city. Here, all evil and disorder can be found.

In the film, Priest Vallon is the leader of the “Dead Rabbits” gang – a collection of Irish immigrants, formerly murdered by William Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis) nicknamed “Butcher Bill” in a robbery.

A fierce clash over the land of refuge. Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) – Priest Vallon’s son, after 16 years still did not forget his grudge and returned to avenge his father.

Although he only had a short role in director Martin Scorsese’s historical action film, Liam Neeson’s character Priest Vallon made a strong impression on many audiences.

The film is highly appreciated by critics and is certified up to 75% “Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was also nominated and won many awards such as the BAFTA Award for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), the Golden Globe Award for Best Director and Best Original Score (The Hands That Built America).

4. Batman Begins (2005)

The first film in Christopher Nolan’s critically acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy tells the origin story of Batman, from Bruce Wayne’s (Christian Bale) initial fear of bats, the death of his parents, and his journey become Batman and battle against Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson) and Scarecrow’s (Cillian Murphy) plans to destroy Gotham City.

In the film, Liam Neeson plays Henri Ducard a.k.a Ra’s al Ghul – the leader of a mysterious group of people called the League of Shadows.

Henry Ducard was the one who trained Bruce to become a ninja of the League of Shadows, but upon completing the training, Bruce discovered the group’s true intentions, he burned the League’s temple, killed Ra’s and saved Ducard’s life. . But when he returned to Gotham, Bruce learned that Henry Ducard was the real Ra’s al Ghul.

Ra’s is considered by writer David Goyer to be the most complex villain of all of Batman’s enemies, and Liam Neeson excels in the role.

Neeson has always appeared with the familiar image of a teacher, so the role of Batman’s main enemy was a breakthrough in his career and surprised many audiences.

Batman Begins was highly appreciated by audiences and critics, with an average score of 8.3/10 and was the 8th highest-grossing film in the US in 2005. Until now, the film’s revenue worldwide world is more than $374.2 million.

After declaring “hanging up the gun” and returning to lighter roles, Liam Neeson recently returned to the big screen as FBI agent Mark Felt in Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House ( Mark Felt: The Man Who Defeated the White House).

The film, based on Mark Felt’s autobiography and written and directed by Peter Landesman, tells the story of how Felt became a secret source (codenamed “Deep Throat”) for reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. , and at the same time helped them bring Watergate – the largest political scandal in American history to light.