Returning to the 107-minute action and suspense film titled: “The Marksman”, Hollywood action star Liam Neeson takes advantage of his cold acting ability and strong character to attract the audience. fake.

“The Gunner” has a simple content and only impresses with the action, and the Liam Neeson “brand” is enough to attract the audience’s attention, so the film has surpassed the blockbuster “Wonder Woman 1984”. and the widely viewed animated film “The Croods: A New Age” to become the top box office hit in North America when released in mid-late January 2021.

News site BoxofficePro on January 22 confirmed that “The Gunner” by independent film studio Open Road Films achieved opening box office revenue of 3.7 million USD.
This is a very significant achievement at a time when most movie theaters in the US still have to “close their doors” or have limited screenings because they cannot escape the severe impact of the Covid-19 epidemic.

In “The Gunner”, Liam Neeson plays Jim Hanson – a widowed Marine veteran, now retired, who chooses a solitary hobby on a “scratch” farm on the Arizona border. (America). Jim’s old life was quite tragic since his wife passed away from illness, and the bank threatened to confiscate the land he was living on.

Jim accidentally met a mother and daughter of a Mexican woman, Rosa (Teresa Ruiz) and Miguel (Jacob Perez). They are illegal immigrants and are desperately fleeing from assassins of the Vasquez gang (played by Colombian actor Juan Pablo Raba).

This group of criminals chased the mother and child into the United States. Out of compassion for the difficult situation of Miguel’s mother and son, Jim used his past fighting skills to try to help them escape the cold-blooded pursuit of the Vasquez gang.

Before Rosa died, she begged Jim to reunite little Miguel with his relatives in the city of Chiacago. The veteran stood between the decision of handing Miguel over to the authorities or fulfilling the boy’s mother’s last words.

In the end, Jim decided to become  carrying out this difficult mission to help the 11-year-old immigrant boy, despite the fact that he could not escape becoming the target of the Vasquez gang.

Message from simple plot

“The Gunner” reminds of Liam Neeson’s famous motif of rescuing his daughter from bad guys in the hit movie series “Taken” with 3 parts: “Taken” (2008), “Taken 2” (2012) and “Taken 3: The End” (2014).

The film tries to exploit all of Neeson’s action strengths, while at the same time compensating for the film’s simple plot with a series of chases, gunfights, and spectacular confrontations, entertaining the audience.

Despite his gruff and unapproachable appearance, Jim’s actions show that he is a kind and good person. He really wanted to help young Miguel and when the two went together, they formed a mutual understanding, forming a good friendship.

Meanwhile, Sarah (played by Ktheryn Winnick) – Jim’s stepdaughter – is an agent of the US border force. And she “extended her powers” as much as possible to help her father. Jim had to confront both front lines, on one side were gangsters, on the other side were corrupt, corrupt officials, compromising with evil.

It can be noted the efforts of director Robert Lorenz (also a co-writer) to direct “The Gunner” to the message of a spirit of chivalry, kindness and compassion necessary in a chaotic social context.

The film also explores the issue of immigration in the United States, which is always difficult and affects many aspects of this large and multi-ethnic United States.

Robert Lorenz was the “right-hand” partner of legendary director Clint Eastwood in many Oscar-winning masterpieces such as: “Mystic River” (Mystic River – 2003), “Million Dollar Female Boxer” (Million Dollar Baby – 2004), “Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), “American Sniper” (American Sniper – 2014)… so it is not strange that he has the talent to turn a simple story into a sign. memorable impression for viewers, which “The Gunner” is a testament to.