With all that the world has been through over the last 12 months, there is a certain kind of movie that is more than welcome in my life right now. Here’s a clue – it’s not a mind-bender. I don’t need the Inception right now. As a matter of fact, I think what we all need in our lives are some flicks that you can check your brain at the door and just enjoy for what it is. Think I’m leading you to the latest Liam Neeson flick, The Marksman? You’re absolutely right! Let’s get to it!
Liam Neeson plays Jim Hanson, a down on his luck rancher in Arizona who would like nothing more than to be left alone. He is an ex-Marine that lives on an isolated stretch of land close to the Arizona-Mexico border. He ends up being told that his ranch will be sold at auction if he doesn’t get up to date on his payments. He starts looking for ways to make up the money and one day, he comes across a woman and her son that had just crossed into the United States illegally. It is a real case of wrong place/wrong time for him as his life is about to turn into a living hell, but with the potential of a big pay-off.
After the mother is killed by the Cartel (not a spoiler people, it’s in the trailer!) Hanson makes it his mission to ensure the kid (Miguel, played by Jacob Perez) gets to his family in Chicago in one piece. As they go along in their journey, Hanson and Miguel encounter one dangerous situation after another and they are never quite sure if they will make it to Chicago alive. We’ve all seen enough movies to know that any group named “The Cartel” is bad news.
The Marksman is a classic paint-by-numbers flick with more than enough dad jokes to keep you satisfied throughout. A predictable movie isn’t always a bad one – as I stated in the opening, sometimes it is just necessary and exactly what you need. There aren’t any Oscar-worthy performances so if you are looking for that, you will need to look elsewhere. My only concern going into this one was whether or not they were going to have a 68 yr old Neeson running all over the place and it just looking awful like in The Commuter. I was pleasantly surprised that, for the most part, the things he did seem plausible.
While The Marksman certainly isn’t Taken, it is absolutely entertaining enough to be worth your time and money. The cast does a fine job in working through the story and there are several dad jokes to marvel over. Check this one out when you can and when you are in need of a” leave your brain at the door kind of movie.”
The Verdict