Surprise, surprise – Liam Neeson once again ruled the weekend as Bryan Mills, the world’s most lethal father with the worst run of luck in modern cinema.
I’m a fan of Liam Neeson and his recent turn as a mature ass-kicker. You can watch him fire a gun and squash baddies at the multiplex at least twice a year since 2009’s Taken. I’m not sure if it’s by coincidence or design but the last few years have given us a bunch of movies where AARP recipients are the ones headlining major action movies as opposed to young up-and-comers. While The Expendables series can be chalked up to older stars simply reliving their glory days, most of the cast (minus the third film) are newer stars even if they’re not young men. I find it fascinating how people have really gotten behind Liam Neeson’s transition into action hero having starred in Taken at age 57. Similarly, The Equalizer starred a 59 year old Denzel Washington laying waste to young dudes and that was quite a hit too.
Could it be we now look to mature men to do the revenge-ing for us? Are guys in their twenties and thirties too wrapped up in the newest Dragon Age game or debate about why Marvel Studios should own thecinematic rights to their characters to be believable as action heroes? That may be part of a larger discussion about society but for now, I feel safe knowing there are real men kicking ass on the silver screen while I sit here at my desk and safely type.