Run All Night - Una notte per sopravvivere

The best part of "Run All Night" are the steely performances by Ed Harris and Joel Kinnaman.

Liam Neeson is solid but the previous two steal the show.

It is definitely worth a rental but not a purchase. The plot is predictable, but that's expected and doesn't derail from the entertainment value. It prevents us from becoming attached or emotionally invested in Kinneman's character's family; but we weren't really expecting to anyway were we? Fans of "Running Scared", "A History of Violence" and Kinnaman's show "The Killing" will enjoy this movie.

Liam Neeson plays retired hit-man, James Conlon, and it's one of the finest roles he's played in years with a great performance, and with additional superb acting from Joel Kinnaman, whom plays his son, Mike Conlon. The first 'Taken' may have turned out great, until it launched a franchise, but 'Run All Night' is a definite improvement over Neeson's latest work, and a major improvement over clichéd action movies released in the past decade. What makes it so good, is that Neeson brings company with him: his co-star Kinnaman who plays his son - and it's a different movie experience altogether as in most clichéd action thrillers the main protagonist, usually played by a familiar action star, is usually without company the whole way through. The character James Conlon is so similar to Jimmy Bobo, a part Sylvester Stallone played in a movie called 'Bullet to the Head'. Jimmy Bobo was an ageing hit-man who still made hits on assignments, but compared to Conlon, he's more emotionless and merciless. Neeson's Conlon still had good in his heart somewhere, whereas Bobo cared more about killing and seeking vengeance. However, the action sequences are enjoyable and thrilling, acting is great and the direction and screen writing becomes intriguing whenever the main plot kicks in - so Run All Night has what it takes of being one of the most exciting movies of the year!

Before you dismiss the latest Liam Neeson action movie 'Run All Night' as yet another iteration of 'Taken', let us reassure you that there is much more to this mob thriller than meets the eye. True, Neeson plays a former man of violence with a 'particular set of skills' who is forced to employ them in order to save his family, but that's about where the similarities end. Indeed, while that franchise never quite had any ambition than as a glorified B-movie, this latest team-up between Neeson and his 'Unknown' and 'Non-Stop' collaborator Jaume Collet- Serra proves itself as an impressive amalgamation of the Oscar- nominated dramatic skills on which his earlier career was built on and his more recent kickassery.

Brad Inglesby's script starts by giving us a glimpse of Neeson after the fateful events of the titular evening – that is, lying in a forest and bleeding from a shotgun wound – before rewinding sixteen hours before to fill us in. As we soon learn, Neeson's Jimmy Conlon wasn't in a much better state before his most recent run-in with mob boss and childhood friend Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris) that had led to his current predicament. An alcoholic mocked by the denizens at the local pub for farting in his sleep, the former Brooklyn hit-man was once Shawn's trusty right-hand man, but has now been reduced to playing Santa at the latter's son's birthday party for quick cash, which he spends drowning his guilt over the people he has killed and the family he has alienated through the years.

As bad luck would have it, Jimmy's estranged son, Mike (Joel Kinnaman), who only wants to take care of his pregnant wife and two young kids and to have nothing to do with his father, stumbles upon Danny executing two Albanian drug dealers. When Danny turns up at Mike's house, Jimmy intervenes to save his son and ends up killing Danny, setting in motion the subsequent series of events which will see father and son move through New York City while being pursued by Danny's men – including a professional assassin named Price (Common) who has his own grudge with Jimmy – as well as crooked cops looking to stay on Shawn's payroll.

Rather than just skip to the chase, Collet-Serra and his screenwriter Inglesby invest in a more character-driven narrative than may be expected. A pivotal scene has Jimmy confessing to Danny's murder shortly after Shawn returns from the morgue to identify his son's body, which poignantly expresses not just one father's grief (and consequent thirst for revenge) from the death of his son but also another father's paternal instinct to protect his family by whatever means possible. Whereas 'Taken' (pardon the pun) the latter for granted, Collet-Serra wisely lets the polarising dynamic between Jimmy and Shawn define the conflict that ensues, giving both characters and their longstanding friendship turned brutal rivalry both shading and nuance.

Lest it be forgotten, Neeson and Harris are both accomplished actors in their own right, and both manage to find their characters' empathetic core. Collet-Serra understands Neeson's 'particular set of skills' in playing the fallible hero, and gives his lead actor space and breadth to explore his character's vulnerabilities and motivations – even bringing in an unbilled Nick Nolte to add patriarchal weight to the proceedings. Kinnaman doesn't get enough quiet scenes with Neeson for their father-son relationship to develop into something truly compelling, but the actors share a good rapport that give the action scenes added emotional texture.

And in that department, Collet-Serra doesn't disappoint. Reining in the hand-held shots that made the last 'Taken 3' an absolute nightmare to watch even on the big screen, Collet-Serra fashions a couple of impressive sequences that make full use of its New York locale. A thrilling cop-car chase through the streets of Brooklyn easily puts 'Taken 3's' highway chase to shame, while a high-rise apartment complex on fire provides a tense backdrop against which Jimmy and Mike attempt to protect a kid witness. There is also the iconic Madison Square Garden, which provides the scene for a daring escape right after a Rangers-Devils game, and heightens the Big Apple atmosphere while keeping the gritty noir-ish feel of the earlier scenes.

It is certainly tempting to see this as yet another attempt to cash in on Neeson's newfound action hero status, but 'Run All Night' distinguishes itself with some well-filmed setpieces to satisfy the adrenaline-hungry crowd while staying grounded with enough characterisation and good acting for its audience to be rooted with the characters on screen. It is also his best collaboration yet with Collet-Serra, who seems genuinely interested at making a movie tailored to the actor's strengths than simply cashing in on a fad. Even and especially if you were disillusioned with 'Taken 3', 'Run All Night' is a good, solid slab of macho entertainment that should wash away the bitter taste of that over-the-hill franchise.

Liam neeson plays Jimmy Conlon, an aging and borderline alcoholic mob hitman who is forced to protect his son from his former boss Shawn Maguire played by the always excellent Ed Harris. It's a satisfying blend of character drama and gritty, violent action. One of the things i really liked was nothing was overly spectacular and silly which gives the movie a more gritty and realistic feel. The action is quick, brutal and not glamorized and the dialogue feels like things real people would say during regular conversation as well, it gets annoying in movies sometimes when characters are spouting one liners like clowns.

Liam Neeson is solid as always and believable as a hard man who is passed his prime but will kill to protect his son even though he knows there's no way it's going to end happy for himself. He's either going to die or spend the rest of his life in prison but he doesn't care as long as his boy is safe. When he lays a guy out flat with one punch with a broken nose and missing teeth you know his character is more than capable of doing it. The story isn't really anything you haven't seen before but it's a well made movie with good performances and the action scenes are filmed in a simple no frills style with no annoying shakey cam. Definitely a good time for fans of Neeson, Ed Harris and tough action thrillers.

Action movie with plenty of suspense, thrills, intrigue, twists and turns. The action of this frenetic thriller about the Brooklyn Irish mafia and the courage of family takes place during just one night in New York. An elderly Brooklyn mob hitman, Jimmy Conlon (Liam Neeson), doesn't seem to find solace except in whiskey. Jimmy is more commonly known as the 'Gravedigger'. Jimmy feels haunted by the sins of his past and also harassed by the police detective (Vincent D'Onofrio) who has been after him for 30 years. But when his honest son, Mike Conlon (Joel Kinnaman) becomes the target of his boss (Ed Harris) and friend, Jimmy has to choose between the criminal family he had chosen to belong and his real family, which he abandoned long ago. No sin goes unpunished !. One night to settle the score !.

This stirring film contains suspense, thrills , noisy action, shootouts , violent fights and plot twists. From start to final the frantic action and fast-movement are unstopped. Liam Neeson gives a top-notch acting as a man tired of life and regretful of his dark past who would stop at nothing to defend his only son and his family. The third collaboration between the Spanish director Jaume Collet-Serra and the actor Liam Neeson after ¨Unknown¨ (2011) and ¨Non-stop¨ (2014) and before filming together in 2018 ¨The commuter¨. The film is once again an action film without measure, full of shots, chases, tension and a script that gives no respite or rest.

Along with Liam Neeson, other veteran and renowned actors such as Ed Harris or Vincent D'Onofrio and young people such as the Swedish Joel Kinnaman and the rapper Common share the spotlight. Adding other secondaries in brief acting, such as: Nick Nolte, Genesis Rodriguez, Boyd Holbrook, Holt McCallany, Beau Knapp, Patricia Kalember Lois Smith and Bruce McGill.

It displays a dark and night photography by cameraman Tom Holkenborg. The musician Martin Ruhe composes a tense and moving soundtrack fitting to frenetic action . Lavishly produced, including spectacular scenes, by various producers as Roy Lee, John Powers Middleton, Ray Quinlan and Jaume Collet-Serra himself. This exciting flick was compellingly directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. Collet is an expert director/producer of terror movies as ¨Orphan¨, ¨House of wax¨ and for TV , ¨The river¨, as well as specialist in thrillers , most of them starred by Liam Neeson, such as: "Unknown" , "Run all night" , "Non-stop" , "The Commuter" , ¨Retribution¨. Rating : 7.5/10, well worth seeing. Better than average. The picture will appeal to Liam Neeson fans and explosive action enthusiasts .