Plot: What’s it about?
There seems to be no stopping Liam Neeson. Not just the actor himself, but the characters he plays as well. With three Taken films under his belt, he still makes time to commit to other action films. While they’ve been mostly hit-or-miss, one can’t deny his strong screen presence. Liam has made some smaller films, but the action genre seems to be his forte, especially more recently. Neeson plays Jimmy Conlon. He’s a mobster and hit-man who takes it upon himself to protect his son, Mike (Joel Kinnaman) from being killed. The reason Mike is now being hunted is because a mob boss, Shawn Maguire’s (Ed Harris) son has just been killed, and Shawn wants Jimmy to feel the pain that he felt losing his son. Jimmy agrees to help his son flee town while Shawn puts several of his people on a mission to kill Jimmy’s son. This now sets the film in motion. There are a few surprises as well including a nice turn from Common as a hit-man after the father and son.
It would be easy to have seen the trailers for this film and write it off as another meaningless action flick similar to those from the 80’s and 90’s. That would a bit unfair. The plot is much more exciting and elaborate than it might first appear. It’s never confusing, but it’s fun to see how certain things unfold. It knows exactly what its audience wants and gives it to them. There are shootouts, car chases and plenty of action sequences to keep one entertained. Those expecting a cinematic duel between Harris and Neeson might feel a bit disappointed as the two don’t share many scenes together. Still, both of their characters are given depth and the scenes with the two of them pack a punch. The film is well paced, nicely keeping the action moving, though some editing at times might’ve helped. It’s also nice to see a straight-up R rated flick that they don’t make a lot of anymore. As long as you approach it with the right mindset, and know the type of film you’re about to see, you should enjoy it.
Video: How’s it look?
I think, at this point, it goes without saying that any film involving Liam Neeson will invariably be dark. Dark in tone, nature and physically. That and with the title involving “Night” in it, well…that’s where my college education pays off! All kidding aside, the 2.40:1 AVC HD image is certainly what we’d expect. Black levels are strong and solid and there seems to be a bluish hue to certain scenes in the film. Detail is sharp, exposing the texture in the faces of its older stars like Harris and Neeson. Given that the film takes place during the night, there’s not a lot of natural hue or ambiance to speak of, but for what it is – this certainly looks the part.
Audio: How’s it sound?
As with the video presentation, we’ve kind of know what to expect when it comes to the DTS HD Master Audio sound mix. Vocals come across clear and clean and that’s saying something with the grizzled voices of Liam Neeson and Ed Harris in the mix (so to speak). Dynamic range is robust, with certain scenes creating a soundstage that is all encompassing. LFE find themselves useful as well and while the room wasn’t shaken, they did add some extra “oomph” to a few key sequences. It’s a good, well-balanced mix that’s sure to please.
Supplements: What are the extras?
There’s not a lot to offer here in terms of supplements, though something is better than nothing.
- Shoot All Night – Director Jaume Collet-Serra and selected members of the cast and crew are interviewed with some behind the scenes footage is shown. This is essentially a glorified, 10 minute trailer.
- Action All Night – This is more of an homage to Neeson as an action star and the fact that every single movie he does is nearly the same (or at least a take off of Taken). Still, it’s a bit interesting though I doubt if I’ll ever watch it again.
- Deleted Scenes – Just over 15 minutes’ worth of deleted scenes, but nothing that I’d consider too necessary to the film – which is most likely why they were deleted to begin with.
- DVD/Digital HD Copy
The Bottom Line
With a fairly simple, but involving premise, Run All Night is very entertaining. The plot does have a bit more going on than it might initially seem, but that’s part of the fun in seeing how it all unravels. While the role isn’t particularly a stretch for Neeson, he still does a good job. Harris does nice work as well, although his role is more limited. Fans of R rated action flicks that don’t ask too much of you will likely enjoy this as well. Whether you rent it or buy it, it comes recommended.
