Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? Yes.
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Yes!Secret ending? No.Running time: 114 minutes (~2 hours)
“Run All Night” is an action movie that revolves around a former hitman teaming up with his estranged son as they find themselves becoming the most wanted men in town. It stars Liam Neeson (Jimmy Conlon), Ed Harris (Shawn Maguire), Joel Kinnaman (Mike Conlon), Boyd Holbrook (Danny Maguire), and Genesis Rodriguez (Gabriela Conlon). It is rated NC-16.
“Run All Night” takes what is a fairly overdone genre, especially with Liam Neeson, and gives a fresh spin to it by skillfully integrating the character stakes with a wide array of stunts. By paying closer attention to the plot structure, both the personal stories and the action are greatly enhanced, thus producing a much better action movie.
Most thrillers (or Liam Neeson films) have the first Act as a slow patch of exposition to build what is hopefully the emotional resonance needed for you to feel for the protagonist and his subsequent escapades. But “Run All Night” starts the action fast and early and keeps it up throughout the film, truly earning the “action movie” title and keeping the energy and pacing exciting during the whole movie, rather than just in the last Act. It’s a fresh approach to integrating the action into the movie, and a welcome one at that.
Diverse action scenes
It’s not just a rash of standard issue fights that “Run All Night” provides – there are car chases, set piece fights amidst forests and burning apartments, with even the protagonists and antagonists take turns initiating the fight scenes. While some portions have Jimmy mowing down mooks, others involve intense personal rivalries with other killers for hire, giving us an assortment of action scenes that don’t just fall into the run-of-the-mill gunfights and melee combat.
Interesting father-son dynamic
Jimmy and Mike have an estranged relationship that underscores their interactions throughout the movie. But this set up helps to subtly bring across how much they care about each other, paying off with a poignant parent-child theme that audience can relate to. The best part is that this relationship is slowly revealed and developed as the movie progresses, without interfering in the action, and without chucking it all in the first Act.
Though done for stylistic purposes, some of the night and indoor scenes could have done with more lighting to better depict the action. It’s unnecessarily dark in some portions and hampers your understanding of what’s happening. Most of the day scenes are fine though, in terms of how the sets are lit.
Bland antagonist
Shawn Maguire is a doddering old man who is threatening only by the dint of his dangerously cold and low voice. All he does is give orders and angst over his own losses, which makes for a very one-note character. His final confrontation with Jimmy is also a huge disappointment, further reinforcing his ineptitude as the villain of the story.
“Run All Night” is one of the better Liam Neeson action movies around, blending story and thrills without compromising on either. And most thankfully, there aren’t a slew of derivative sequels lined up for this one… yet.
“Run All Night” opens in cinemas 12 March, 2015 (Sunday).
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