Does anyone remember when Liam Neeson said he was stepping away from doing action movies? Apparently, Hollywood doesn’t since they’ve continued to cast him in roles that see him stepping up to the plate yet again as he is in The Marksman. Well, when the business keeps throwing money at a person to perform certain roles it’s kind of hard to say no, but at one point he might have to walk away from the shower of green and remind them that he’s currently in his 60s, an age that isn’t ancient but is getting up there to where action movies need to become a thing of the past eventually. But one has to give this movie some credit at least, he’s not exactly wading into the fight with younger, tougher opponents as much it would appear, at least not like he used to. This time around it would appear that getting into the thick of the fighting is going to be the last resort when long-distance fighting is no longer an option. So in a sense, Neeson isn’t really taking on younger cartel members without good reason and he’s not exactly engaging them in hand to hand until there’s no other choice. And of course, he’s playing the part of a retired Marine living on a ranch by himself, where he’s fallen on hard times for one reason or another. We can sit here and pick this movie apart all day, but it’s a little easier to just go with it on this one since Neeson is at least coming back to the action for a story that some folks might like.
With all the disputes concerning the American/Mexican border in the past several years, it needs to be pointed out that Neeson’s character is actually doing something the help at least two individuals that are fleeing for their lives. He’s not attempting to open the border wide for everyone, but he’s also not ignoring the plight of a couple of people that are obviously in need. People can take that however they want, but it’s a far more positive note than simply calling border patrol or letting the mother and her son be gunned down or taken back by the cartel members. Somehow this still feels as though it will be a point of contention when it comes to this movie if only because the issues with the southern border have been so prominent in recent times. Plenty of folks have expressed their views when it comes to people crossing the border and have spoken of the legalities and illegalities of such a thing, but I won’t go into further detail here.
The Marksman is kind of a return to form for Neeson, who was giving up action at one point and is now coming back in a slightly diminished capacity it feels like since this is nothing like Taken, given that he’s not looking for the fight, but instead had it thrust upon him. After the boy’s mother is shot it does feel that Neeson’s character would be at odds with what to do since apparently, she asked him to take the boy to Chicago to be with family, which is more than just a hop, skip and jump away from the border. But again, he doesn’t exactly look for the fight that taking the boy brings, he’s simply trying to do the right thing since he became involved the moment he stopped upon seeing the mother and her son come through the fence separating Mexico from the US. So far it’s looking like the kind of story that amounts to ‘wrong place, right time’ since his role as a protector was definitely needed, even if he wasn’t planning on helping anyone run away from a Mexican cartel that would probably shoot him just for being near the scene. At this point, and with the way, this year has been going, one might have to wonder if the depiction of the cartel is going to offend someone’s sensibilities and if the appearance of the mother and son will offend someone, at least until they realize that Neeson’s character is attempting to do the right thing by helping two people in need.
It’s hard to say really since some folks become offended at pretty much anything these days. But in terms of wanting to watch the movie, it does feel that The Marksman will be enticing simply because of the title and because watching Neeson lay the smackdown on those that deserve it is usually a good time. Anyone sticking up for the cartel members, in this case, might need to check their priorities, and anyone wanting to accuse people of giving into the ‘white savior’ complex might need to do the same. Overall it looks like another solid action movie, and definitely worth a look.
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