Implacable

This movie, in the career of Liam Neeson, is nearly a cliché, a pleonasm. For his age, he has done far far worse since a decade now. He is good in this story which can remind some movies from the seventies. This scheme of an aging hitman or gangster or cop, a character who lives his last moments on this earth, this scheme is not new, it has been told hundreds of times before, but this diminishes nothing to the efficiency of this movie. Liam Neeson is poignant here, no problem. Me, I like this movie, this kind of story. Liam Neeson have made and will make more films like this one in the future. He has no more choice.... This plot and main character reminds me Craig Fairbrass in THE VILLAIN (2020).

Liam's performance is just over the top, he plays the character so well you can sense every emotion he feels.

The movie is psychological, there were some disturbing scenes with too much violence but I guess that was needed for the story to unfold.

I don't understand the low ratings, it was a nice movie and you could not guess the plot very easily.

I thought this was gonna be another Liam Neeson's action movies and I love them but this one hits different, it's mystey, crime, psychology combined.

It is slow paced so it's not for everyone, but it's a rewarding one. I'd recommend watching this movie if you have a weird and unique taste in movies.

Set in Boston, the film follows a former boxer turned low level enforcer (Liam Neeson) working for local crime boss Charlie Connor (Ron Perlman). After he starts forgetting things, the enforcer goes to a doctor who informs him that a lifetime of taking continuous blows to the head has left him with CTE. With no treatment or medicine available and an unclear estimation of how much time he has left, the enforcer starts preparing to get his affairs in order including re-establishing contact with his estranged daughter Rosie (Frankie Shaw).

Absolution is the latest vehicle for Liam Neeson who in over the past 20 years has become synonymous with these mid budgeted thrillers and crime films that while not the blockbusters they were 20 years ago are still profitable thanks to "downstream revenues" (streaming rights, international sales, etc.). Absolution sees Neeson reteaming with director Hans Petter Moland after the two collaborated on Cold Pursuit (remade from Moland's own In Order of Disappearance) and written by writer Joe Gayton. Despite being marketed as another Neeson fronted action film, absolution is really more of a noir tinged drama with some genre elements that while more ambitious than some films he's done isn't all that successful.

As per usual Neeson is playing a very standard "seasoned tough guy" as his career has taken a route previously taken by actors such as Charles Bronson, but there is at least an attempt to give him something as he plays a character slowly losing his cognitive faculties and now taking stock of his less than admirable life. The scenes where he's struggling to remember things like his dead son or what he actually intended to do are the highlights of the film and it honestly makes me wish the movie had just ditched the well worn thriller/noir trappings and been more of a character drama as it really wants to be. During the first two thirds Absolution juggles many different plot elements like his relationship with a woman played by Yolonda Ross (who disappears after the second act), the jobs he's running for Charlie Connor, or a recurring dream sequence involving his father and a boat that just feels really out of place. Once we're in the third act it basically just gives up and becomes a standard Neeson rampage but by that point those who came expecting it may feel it's too little too late while those invested in the character drama will be disappointed that it doesn't really payoff. If you want to see a movie like this that's a character study of a degenerative brain disease with crime thriller elements, you're really better off just watching Knox Goes Away from earlier this year as it did a better job of combing the two elements (with some minor missteps) and actually felt like a more fully formed vision.

Absolution tries to add a little something extra to the well worn conveyor of Liam Neeson led genre films but it's such a rough mixture of haphazard character drama and noir cliches without doing either well enough to warrant even a minimal recommendation. If you want this kind of movie but better, just watch Knox Goes Away.

Liam Neeson plays an unnamed thug working for minor Boston mob boss Charlie Conner (Ron Perlman). He's been assigned to back up the heir apparent Kyle Conner (Daniel Diemer) who is green, arrogant, and a druggie. He's suffering from memory issues which turns out to be CTE. He tries to reconnect with his kids. His daughter Daisy (Frankie Shaw) doesn't want anything to do with him and his son died without his knowledge.

This is Liam Neeson doing Liam Neeson except this character is on his last legs. That is a good spot for him as he ages and isn't quite the killing machine of his younger days. I wouldn't mind dropping the girlfriend and spend more time to generate drama with Daisy. The writing can do some sharpening but one must also remember that the man is suffering from mental degeneration. He can't be throwing out snappy one-liners. I like this for Liam Neeson although everybody else seems to be unimpressed.

Liam Neeson plays a low level gangster who tries to connect with his daughter after being diagnosed with a brain disease.

Look at like this, the reason why this has such a low rating is because most people were expecting An action movie, it's not, it's a slow burn drama and it's quite good.

The movie was no doubt marketed wrong and the wrong crowd watched it in between watching tik tok reels.

This is neesons best role in years and I loved the score.

If for instance it was produced by A24 and had Ralph Fienes in the lead this would probably be rated at 6.4 at least.

Like I say go into this with low expectations and you will have a great time.