This did quite well when originally released and for good reason, this is a well-built revenge piece. Byran Mills (Liam Neeson), a former spy, is forced to apply his considerable skills at wreaking havoc when is daughter is kidnapped while overseas. A bad thing happens and me makes worse things happen until things are good again...just like in real

Written by Luc Besson (The Fifth Element, Léon, Wasabi), the film follows his usual path. He introduces a grumpy, tired anti-hero who you probably wouldn't like if you knew him in real life. Captain Grumpy is then shoved unpleasantly into a situation where he needs to protect a bright-faced young girl. Capt. Grumpola then slaughters more humans than Jeffrey Dahmer on a bender. No moral or legal consequences erupt as our hero, the guy we are meant to emulate, destroys the world to save the girl.

Like all revenge flicks, such as The Brave One or Edge of Darkness, this movie works to avoid the moral quandary of vigilante morality. This has always been a confusing consistency in these films. If the filmmakers avoid the moral consequences of their vigilante hero, then where do they get off proposing he/she has the moral right to act on their own behalf? The general tract is that the hero is pushed into a situation where they need to act. It is a moral imperative, they then descend into the lowest of criminal behavior in order to set things straight. They begin with a moral structure and trade it in to live a "might makes right" existence. This exchange is rarely discussed and makes these films little more than Death Wish with better lighting.


Related Reviews:
Liam Neeson movies
Seraphim Falls (2006)
Excalibur (1981)


Other Critic’s Reviews:
Christianity Today
The Austin Chronicle





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Labels: film, Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, movie review