Our annual January / February visit with Liam Neeson on the big screen hasn’t always resulted in fabulous films, but The Marksman is pretty good. It’s certainly a step above Cold Pursuit, Taken 3 or Non-Stop (I missed The Silence and The Commuter). It’s the second film directed by Robert Lorenz, a savvy producer who has recently turned to the director’s chair, and it provides Neeson with a strong, believable role where his “special set of skills” may not be able to keep his character alive.
Robert Lorenz’s film sets rancher Jim Hanson (Neeson) on the Arizona / Mexico border, where he sees his share of illegal aliens crossing. Hanson prevents a carful of drug cartel guys from stopping a woman (Teresa Ruiz) and her son Miguel (Jacob Perez) at the border, but they are determined to grab the pair, and the cartel money they are carrying. Hanson feels obligated to get the boy out of harm’s way, and doing so takes all the gumption he can muster.
The film’s strong suit is believability. Hanson makes a lot of mistakes on the road, things you would think he would know better about, especially when the cartel guys, led by Mauricio (Juan Pablo Raba), relentlessly follow and catch up to them. But Neeson isn’t in superhero mode, the way he marched through the Taken movies; Hanson is a regular guy struggling to keep his ranch afloat and help people when he can. Neeson’s empathy is realistic and convincing; it’s why he can make these types of movies better than they really are.
Lorenz directs well, giving plenty of opportunity for Mauricio to experience America in a different, deeper way than ever before, and the young boy to get a taste of a land he has only heard about. There’s a final confrontation that reminded me a great deal of the climax of Witness, a great film from Peter Weir. And while Lorenz and his writers could have provided stronger (and, well, more) dialogue, the visuals work very nicely in service of the story. It also makes some subtle political points about lawmen abusing their privilege, how our country treats immigrant children and, of course, the power of money. It’s pretty decent for a Liam Neeson action movie. ☆ ☆ 1/2. 19 January 2021.