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It’s time for your annual Liam Neesoning: that cinematic tradition in which the seasoned star plays a grizzled character with a particular set of skills, which come in handy to dispatch bad guys and rescue good ones. But this year’s entry in the subgenre, “The Marksman,” is particularly mediocre.

There’s not much to the character Neeson plays, or anyone else in the film, for that matter. The story is thin, the suspense is wan, and the action sequences are uninspired. Director Robert Lorenz seems to be aiming for the kind of cranky-old-man-on-a-mission movies Clint Eastwood has directed and stars in of late—which makes sense, given that Lorenz has produced several Eastwood films over the past two decades including “ Million Dollar Baby ” and “ Gran Torino ” and directed him in “Trouble With the Curve.” But while the sheen of such movies exists here—perhaps too much, given the subject matter—the substance is sorely missing. And despite his ever-formidable presence, Neeson seems to be going through the motions, even as he’s kicking ass.

Neeson stars as rancher Jim Hanson, a Marine and decorated Vietnam War veteran living a quiet life in southern Arizona along the Mexico border. It’s been a year since his wife died of cancer, and he spends his days with his trusty dog, Jackson, patrolling the property he’s in danger of losing to the bank. At the film’s start, we see him driving along dusty roads in his pickup with his pooch riding shotgun as the setting sun bathes the desert landscape in a warm glow. An American flag waves in the foreground as he approaches his modest house. Cinematographer Mark Patten shoots this patriotic imagery as if it were a commercial for Chevy trucks—all that’s missing is Bob Seger singing “Like a Rock.”

But Jim’s peace is shattered when a mother and son cross into the United States from Mexico through a section of fence that borders his land. They’re on the run from vicious cartel members, and when the mom is shot, Jim agrees to her dying wish that he take care of her tween boy, Miguel ( Jacob Perez ). Interestingly, Jim takes no political stance on whether they should have entered the country in this manner; ever the pragmatist, he’s more concerned about the prospect of dealing with dead bodies on his property when immigrants succumb to this arduous trek.

The kid is understandably shaken into stunned silence, but a Chicago address scribbled on a strip of paper dictates where Jim must take him to reunite him with his family. Somehow, Jim still speaks no Spanish after years of living along the Mexican border—literally, the extent of his vocabulary is “familia” and “comida”—which seems both unlikely and irresponsible. Instead, he talks to the boy in frustrated, exaggerated English and reluctantly agrees to this journey, thinking that the backpack full of cash the mother gave him could help him pay off his debts.

In contrast with the “ Taken ” films, this time he’s the one doing the taking, albeit for a good cause. The bulk of “The Marksman” finds Jim, Miguel, and Jackson making their way from Arizona to Illinois, the cartel villains on their tail, led by an especially over-the-top Juan Pablo Raba . Then again, all these characters are flat stereotypes of violent, Mexican thugs; the script from Lorenz, Chris Charles , and Danny Kravitz isn’t interested in exploring them any further. Even Miguel, who’s on screen nearly the entire time, isn’t developed beyond a few simple traits including sweetness, fear and a love of Pop Tarts. (He is thoughtful enough, however, to take Jackson for an early-morning walk while Jim is still sleeping off the whiskey from the night before. But be warned: A later scene involving the dog is the most stressful in the whole movie, and the most unnecessary, given that we’re already fully aware of how dangerous the pursuers are.)

There aren’t many surprises on this journey, and the fact that the old-school Jim proudly carries no cell phone allows for the few hiccups that do occur along the way. (Somehow he manages to pull into a small town in the Texas panhandle and find the gun store on Main Street without the help of Yelp.) Katheryn Winnick has a barely-there supporting role as his stepdaughter, a border patrol agent who shows up every once in a while to track down his whereabouts and try to talk him into turning himself in to authorities. As for the title, Jim doesn’t really get to use his sharpshooting skills until nearly the end, right around the time his gruff demeanor softens, just like we knew it would.

Christy Lemire

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series "Ebert Presents At the Movies" opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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The Marksman (2021)

Rated PG-13 for violence, some bloody images and brief strong language.

Liam Neeson as Jim

Jacob Perez as Miguel

Katheryn Winnick as Sarah

Teresa Ruiz as Rosa

Juan Pablo Raba as Maurico

Dylan Kenin as Randall

Luce Rains as Everett Crawford

Chase Mullins as Mark

Robert Lorenz
Chris Charles
Danny Kravitz

Cinematographer

Mark Patten
Luis Carballar
Sean Callery

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‘The Marksman’ Review: Liam Neeson Saves a Mexican Boy From Cartel Slaughter in a Feel-Good Action Road Movie

The star's latest thriller is one of those bonding-with-a-kid movies that's mostly boilerplate.

By Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman

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There have, on occasion, been terrific dramas built around the relationship between a crusty adult and a spiky kid. “True Grit” (1969) was good, with the firebrand tomboy Kim Darby a perfect foil for the aging cowpoke John Wayne (and it was a more memorable movie than the Coen brothers’ remake). “Paper Moon” (1973) was good, bringing a deserved Oscar to Tatum O’Neal, and playing off the bristly real-world chemistry between her and her father Ryan. “Logan” (2017) was good, an action film neatly grounded in watching Hugh Jackman’s metal-clawed but fading Wolverine, in his last journey, mentor Dafne Keen as the dark-eyed ferocious urchin who might be the one to replace him.

But those are exceptions. With the arrival of “ The Marksman ,” Liam Neeson ’s latest piece of watchable-product-that’s-not-as-good-as-he-is, the current movie season has now given us no less than three dramas in which stalwart adults partner with children who wind up showing them the way: the meandering Tom Hanks Western “News of the World”; George Clooney’s flatly dystopian Arctic-tundra-meets-space odyssey “The Midnight Sky”; and now “The Marksman,” in which Neeson, he of the bone-lean gaze and solitary skills, bonds with a just-arrived-from-over-the-border Mexican boy he’s shielding from cartel goons. I mean no disrespect to any of the young actors involved in these movies when I say that in all three, the taking-a-child-under-his-wing plot tends be a lead weight on screen. None of the films, on its own terms, is badly made, yet the kid characters are all spunky saints, and there’s a sodden predictability to where the stories are headed.

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Neeson, in a light blue shirt, straw hat, and soulful pained expression, looks like a scarecrow version of Vincent van Gogh, but once the film settles in he wears a worn baseball cap that doesn’t flatter him; it makes him look depressed. Then again, that’s maybe intentional, since Jim is a man who is running on empty. He lost his wife to cancer in a battle that wiped out his assets, and now he can’t pay his mortgage. There’s a hole where his life used to be, and that’s the space that gets filled by his mission to save Miguel. After sneaking out of the local U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Station, the two climb into Jim’s ancient Chevy pickup and head for Chicago, where Miguel’s relatives are. “The Marksman” turns into an elemental action road movie in which the two are tracked at every turn by Mauricio (Juan Pablo Raba), the Vasquez cartel’s bald murder machine, and his fellow assassins.

As a character, Neeson’s Jim falls into place with a few stray not-quite-convincing traits: He doesn’t own a cell phone (“Nobody needs to call me, and I like it that way”), and he tells Miguel a rather doddering anecdote about loving the street hot dogs in Chicago when he was a boy (taking it on faith, as the film does, that the same hot dogs will be there today). He’s also a Vietnam veteran who wields a telescopic rifle with a sniper’s flair that makes it seem a more lethal weapon than a machine gun. The bare-bones quirks stick out because Jim is a less furious, more elegiac version of the mad-as-hell Neeson hero. He even gets a sendoff on a bus that evokes one of Dustin Hoffman’s most famous exits.

The director, Robert Lorenz, stages the action with a convincing ebb and flow, but thanks to an undercooked script what happens in between is mostly boilerplate. Jacob Perez, as Miguel, has the quiet demeanor of a genuine kid, but there are moments when you wish he had more spice to him, that he was a bit more of a cutesy movie kid. You could describe the young heroines of “True Grit” or “Paper Moon” that way, but they live on in your imagination. “The Marksman” is a movie to forget the moment it’s over.

Reviewed online, Jan. 11, 2021. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 107 MIN.

Production: An Open Road Films release of a Voltage Pictures, Sculptor, Zero Gravity Management, Stonehouse Motion Pictures production. Producers: Tai Duncan, Mark Williams, Warren Goz, Eric Gold, Robert Lorenz. Executive producers: Mark. D. Katchur, James Masciello, Matthew Sidari, Nicolas Chartier, Jonathan Deckter.
Crew: Director: Robert Lorenz. Screenplay: Chris Charles, Danny Kravitz, Robert Lorenz. Camera: Mark Patten. Editor: Luis Carballar. Music: Sean Callery.
With: Liam Neeson, Jacob Perez, Katheryn Winnick, Juan Pablo Raba, Teresa Ruiz.

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‘the marksman’: film review.

Liam Neeson plays an ex-Marine sharpshooter attempting to protect a young boy from a Mexican cartel in Robert Lorenz's action thriller 'The Marksman.'

By Frank Scheck

Frank Scheck

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Liam Neeson continues the Charles Bronson phase of his lengthy career with Robert Lorenz’s action thriller representing the actor’s second starring effort in three months. Arriving shortly on the heels of Honest Thief , The Marksman is the sort of solid, unassuming programmer that Bronson pumped out with regularity in the ’70s and ’80s. Think of something like 1974’s Mr. Majestyk , except in this case the reluctant hero forced to deal with bad guys is an Arizona rancher rather than a Colorado melon farmer. In both cases, the star — and the film — gets the job done.

It’s not that Neeson’s character, Jim Hanson, a former Marine sharpshooter (natch), wants any trouble. He’s still grieving over the recent death of his wife, his ranch is being threatened with foreclosure, and he’s the sort of deceptively gentle soul who coos to his elderly mutt, “Who’s the best dog in the world?” But he’s forced into action when he witnesses a young migrant woman, Rosa (Teresa Ruiz), and her 11-year-old son Miguel (Jacob Perez) fleeing from a gang of drug cartel killers. Hanson manages to hold them at bay, but not without Rosa being killed in the shootout. In her dying moments, she begs him to take her son to the safety of her relatives in Chicago.

Release date: Jan 15, 2021

When Miguel is subsequently detained by border authorities, Hanson lets his conscience get the better of him and manages to surreptitiously spirit the boy out, much to the consternation of his border patrol officer daughter Sarah (Katheryn Winnick, Vikings ). Thus begins the cross-country chase between Hanson and the killers, led by the bloodthirsty Mauricio (Juan Pablo Raba of Narcos , impressively menacing), who’s less interested in the boy than the large sum of drug money he has in his possession.

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The Marksman (2021)

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In The Marksman , Liam Neeson Idles in Place

Despite the action-movie theatrics of the latter part of his career, Liam Neeson has begun in recent years to age gracefully in his parts — so gracefully that he’s finally become Clint Eastwood. In The Marksman , the actor exudes the kind of weathered melancholy Eastwood adopted in his films from Unforgiven on. The director and co-writer, Robert Lorenz, is himself a longtime assistant director and producer for Eastwood; he also directed Trouble With the Curve , which starred Eastwood. Clint himself even makes a cameo appearance in The Marksman , via one of his older films showing on a motel room TV. And truth be told, it’s a lot easier to imagine Eastwood in this movie than it is Neeson, whose gangly awkwardness doesn’t quite fit the part of a grizzled Arizona rancher.

There’s also a small-c conservatism that runs through The Marksman that might have worked better with Clint. The film follows Neeson’s sad-sack rancher, Jim, a former Marine, as he tries to protect Miguel (Jacob Perez), a young undocumented Mexican boy who has fled across the border with his mother (Teresa Ruiz), on the run from a drug cartel. When he first sees mother and child scurrying onto his property, Jim stops them and calls the border police. He’s not lacking in compassion; he’s just following the law. But while they’re waiting for the cops to arrive, some cartel goons show up and kill the mother. The story turns on the guilt Jim feels over the incident: Sensing the corruption of the border police and realizing that Miguel will be in danger if he’s returned to Mexico, he grabs the kid and sets off in his truck to Chicago, where the child has family. The cartel soldiers pursue them, casually wreaking havoc and dropping bodies along the way.

It’s strictly good guys–versus–bad guys stuff: The villains are really, really awful, while Jim and Miguel are really, really decent. And as a bare-minimum action flick, The Marksman is mostly serviceable. But it’s also a road movie about an old man and a young child getting to know each other, and the interactions between Jim and Miguel — going from testy silence to warm camaraderie — might have had more oomph with someone tougher, more confident, more Clint-y, in the older man’s part. Neeson’s upturned eyebrows, anguished demeanor, and concave posture have always spoken of penance, or worry and hurt; that’s partly what gave such power to his reinvention as an action hero. But this also means that his character has a lot less emotional ground to cover over the course of the film, and the story of his guilt, and his growing rapport with Miguel, lacks drama; it all feels like a foregone conclusion, even within the mostly predictable framework of this action flick.

But the man has range, and I wish he’d get more chances to use it. This is Neeson’s third movie in less than a year, and I’ve spent a somewhat ridiculous amount of time thinking about his career of late. He’s at an interesting point, to be sure: a bit too old to be kicking constant ass, but still pigeonholed into the lucrative genre films that revived his fortunes a decade or so ago. Older actors — both male and female — always have to find new ways to be relevant, and very few of them actually succeed in doing so. Neeson was always an accomplished performer, and at their best, his action movies have employed his talents more than his skills (think The Grey , or even Run All Night ). But this stuff can only go so far, and I’m curious to see what he does next. Based on the evidence, however, he himself might not be all that sure. The Marksman feels like a placeholder for the next act of Liam Neeson’s career. It’s a film about an aging man who doesn’t know what comes next, starring an aging man who doesn’t know what comes next.

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‘The Marksman’ Review: Liam Neeson Goes Full Clint Eastwood in a Redbox-Ready Action Movie

David ehrlich.

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Clint Eastwood’s shadow looms large over “ The Marksman ,” even if you don’t know that this quick and greasy Liam Neeson thriller is directed by “Mystic River” and “Million Dollar Baby” producer Robert Lorenz (“Trouble with the Curve”), or that it shares many of the same craftspeople who worked on those movies. The story of a grizzled old widower who reluctantly finds himself driving an orphaned Mexican boy from Arizona to Illinois with a bag full of drug money on the floor of his truck and a sociopathic cartel assassin in its rear-view mirror, “The Marksman” might be two three-ways short of “The Mule,” but almost everything about it — from its “get off my lawn” misanthropy to its general take on the uselessness of government in American life — feels geared for a late-career Eastwood vehicle.

By the time Eastwood himself actually shows up for a minute in the second act, the star grinning at us from inside a motel TV that’s airing a fuzzy broadcast of the 1968 Western “Hang ‘Em High,” the nod seems almost as inevitable and indebted as one of those Stan Lee cameos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But if superhero movies have unsurprisingly managed to outlive Stan Lee, a film as functional and flavorless as “The Marksman” suggests that Eastwoodism will die along with the man who inspired it.

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If Lorenz’s homage should feel so anonymous, perhaps that’s because crusty and cash-strapped Arizona rancher Jim Hanson — hard as he might try to be an ersatz Clint Eastwood — is also forced to be Liam Neeson, John Wick, and the creator of “The Muppets” at the same time. By now such an established action star that the post-“Taken” portion of his career has its own sub-sections nested inside of it (his 2019 self-cancellation marking the end of one and the start of another), Neeson has developed a clear screen persona of his own, and it doesn’t necessarily square with the “Old Man with No Name” energy of his latest character.

For one thing, he reads as sadder than the Eastwood archetype; not just wistful or lonely, but hollow. Jim is an apolitical character who’s too depressed to care about those around him, regardless of where they’re from or the color of their skin; when he and his dog Jackson come across an 11-year-old migrant named Miguel (Jacob Perez) and his mother Rosa (Teresa Ruiz) as they scupper through a hole in the border fence, Jim’s reaction is to give them some water and call border patrol — it’s the simple reflex of a former Marine who doesn’t have the emotional bandwidth to register the horror on these faces.

There’s no MAGA-related malice in the decision, and the movie isn’t much interested in “Green Booking” together a story about a white guy who only comes to see people of color as human once he’s forced to spend time with one of them (even if that’s basically what happens). “The Marksman” doesn’t unpack its protagonist enough to know his biases or chart his growth; he’s just empty when it starts, and fills up a bit as it goes along.

Jim only begins to react once some hard-looking dudes roll up to the Mexican side of the divide, start shooting through the fence, and fatally wound the boy’s mom. Even after Rosa uses her dying breath to ask Jim to deliver her son to some family in Chicago — and the marksman(!) picks off one of the baddies with his rifle — he can’t bring himself to do anything more than deliver Miguel to the authorities. That Jim eventually reconsiders, breaks the kid out, and drives him on a dangerous road trip to the Midwest feels both easily explainable and strangely unmotivated in equal measure.

Is it because Jim knows that some of the border guards are being paid off by the cartels, and that Miguel’s survival depends on finding a safe home in the States? Is it because the bank is going to auction off his ranch in 90 days, he’s never going to be able to pay off his late wife’s medical bills in time, and his Border Patrol director stepdaughter (Katheryn Winnick) is too underwritten to puncture the bubble of loneliness that’s built up around him? Is it just that he’s bored? The right answer is never more than a messy hodgepodge of those reasons, as “The Marksman” aims at a moving target that also has to accommodate some geriatric action sequences — there’s a lot of hiding, and several beats where Jim and Miguel escape a location mere seconds before the villains arrive — and a Terminator-style bad guy played by “Narcos” actor Juan Pablo Raba. His Mauricio is a walking stereotype who doesn’t realize who he’s dealing with, and his Anton Chigurh swagger (complete with the murder of an innocent gas station attendant) only goes so far to justify the screen time he chews up along the way. And when Mauricio takes aim at the dog, well… let’s just say I’m thinking Jim Hanson is back.

In between the flying bullets and screeching tires, Lorenz strains to establish an unlikely bond between Jim and Miguel, but there isn’t a lot of meat on that particular bone. Perez is a winsome presence, and it’s always fun to watch a brutal old git make friends with a hapless kid, but the surrogate dad thing doesn’t have the time it needs to take hold. Miguel initially blames Jim for his mother’s death, and then — a steak and a shootout later — simply doesn’t anymore. Easy as it is to appreciate how the kid might have come around to the truth of his circumstances, “The Marksman” elides so much of the nuance that might have elevated this story above basic genre shlock.

Character is implied, but seldom investigated. Jim steals enough swigs of booze to raise an eyebrow, and Miguel groans that he “didn’t even want to be in your stupid country,” but neither of their wounds and frustrations are explored further than the action requires them to be. While an ambient sense of “the government needs to get its shit together and figure that mess out” is subsumed into the narrative (especially when Jim barks that “the government needs to get together and figure that mess out!”), “The Marksman” is too enamored with its low-rent January aesthetics to make any detours towards depth.

Much like his mentor, Lorenz shoots straight from the hip. The action is clean, the beats are broad, the color palette is muted. There’s so little muss or fuss to this movie that any stray moments — such as a quick scene in which Mauricio makes eyes at a blonde American woman as if he’s never been north of the border before — only call attention to its narrow focus and Redbox ambitions. Neeson is a fine stand-in for the haggard soul of a country where people feel the need to take the law into their own hands, but his latest cinematic vendetta is so eager to get where it’s going that it loses any real sense of itself along the way. By the time “The Marksman” fades out on its very Eastwoodian finale, Clint’s touch doesn’t feel like an unsubtle inspiration so much as it does a severe kind of absence.

Open Road will release “The Marksman” in theaters on Friday, January 15.

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The Marksman Review

Bored-er patrol..

IGN serves a global audience, so with The Marksman now playing in theaters, we are publishing our review from Matt Fowler who watched the movie via a digital screener. Read more on IGN's policy on movie reviews in light of COVID-19 here . IGN strongly encourages anyone considering going to a movie theater during the COVID-19 pandemic to check their local public health and safety guidelines before buying a ticket.

Liam Neeson's deep-voiced, grizzled charisma, which has served him super well as a later-in-life action star, isn't quite enough to pull The Marksman up and out of its formulaic dregs.

The second directorial effort from producer Robert Lorenz, who's been behind most of Clint Eastwood's 21st-century films, (including Gran Torino, which this film echos in certain ways), The Marksman -- which uses Neeson's character's skill with a rifle far too infrequently to warrant that title -- is a rather humdrum slice of "good guy with a gun" dad porn. Obviously, Neeson is no stranger to revenge cinema, but this is his first dalliance with problematic grumpiness.

You could see how The Marksman was crafted with an Eastwood-type in mind, complete with Eastwood's political leanings perhaps, but the film skirts the more serious issues it uses as a backdrop in order to unspool a color-by-numbers tale involving an old Marine teaching disrespectful punks a lesson. In this case, the Marine is Neeson's Arizona rancher, Jim Hanson, and the troublemakers are Cartel hitmen.

Hanson, whose property rests on the US/Mexico border, is sort of vaguely bigoted. His cantankerous nature is explained-away (ish) by the fact that he's recently widowed and the bank's about to foreclose on his land, but he's still a man who's perennially bothered and put out by Mexicans crossing onto his property illegally, always reporting them to Border Patrol when he spots them. We also see Hanson needing quick work and being distressed when he's denied a ditch digging job because of day laborers.

Nothing is said outright about Hanson's prejudices, which is probably a wise move, but it's also a cowardly move that works to water down anything potentially interesting. Painting him with a broad "misanthrope" brush feels like a cop-out when you see who exactly, in the movie, he's peeved with. Things are only winked at here, with phrases like "if only the government would do something about the mess down here" and "the way things are now." It all just smacks of the creators realizing, as they roll through production, that this, possibly, was the wrong time to make this movie.

Hanson's fading life, one of desolation, is interrupted by a Mexican mother and son fleeing Cartel assassins and winding up on his ranch. In a quick skirmish with the killers, the mother is mortally wounded, the brother of the lead Cartel goon (Juan Pablo Raba) is taken out, and Hanson finds himself begrudgingly fulfilling a promise to the late woman to take her boy, Miguel (Jacob Perez), to Chicago to be with his cousins. As payment, so that he can prevent his land from being sold off, Hanson figures he'll use the duffle bag of Cartel cash that the mom was carrying.

As you might expect, Hanson and Miguel bond during their long cross-country pickup truck trek, and the cold codger begins to warm to his companion, eventually seeing this journey as a last-good-deed mission. Ultimately, it's not a terrible story. It's watchable, in all the weakest ways that descriptor implies. Just because it's not fresh doesn't mean it can't be effective at times. Tropes exist for a reason, as they are the easiest ways discovered to deliver emotional arcs and morality plays. Of course, Neeson's playing a reluctant killer here. One who tells Miguel "there's absolutely nothing that feels good about killing another man." The movie itself might disagree as the genre is one designed to specifically dish out vengeance.

Vikings' Katheryn Winnick is wasted here in what's become the all-too-common "woman on the phone" role, where, as Hanson's stepdaughter, and a U.S. Border Patrol Agent, she gets a lot of scenes where she has to plead with him to come home and let the system handle things. What starts off as a possibly promising part fizzles out halfway through the film and finds no closure. The movie's ending feels right enough, and dour enough, though it also just reinforces vigilantism in the ways these types of stories usually do.

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The Marksman is perfectly watchable old man reckoning cinema, held together by good performances by Liam Neeson and young Jacob Perez, but it's ultimately not much more than an assembly line of non-surprises. Plus, it confounds matters by contriving the story in a controversial setting and then kind of sheepishly ignoring majorly important themes so it can deliver a run-of-the-mill action movie.

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‘The Marksman’ Review: In Need of a Mission

Liam Neeson plays the reluctant protector of an undocumented Mexican boy in this dusty drama.

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By Jeannette Catsoulis

The plot of “The Marksman,” a melancholy road movie starring Liam Neeson, could fit on a bullet casing, but a list of its clichés would require substantially more space.

As would a tally of its improbabilities. Neeson plays Jim Hanson, a widowed Arizona rancher whose cattle are being eaten by coyotes and whose property is being devoured by the bank. All the usual good-guy signifiers are present: the U.S. Marines tattoo on his forearm, the Silver Star in his drawer, the American flag flapping on his porch. Gazing wistfully at the hill where his dead wife’s ashes have been scattered, Jim is a lonely warrior in need of nothing so much as a mission.

Along it comes in the diminutive form of Miguel (Jacob Perez), 11, and his dying mother (Teresa Ruiz), undocumented immigrants fleeing Mexico with money stolen from a drug cartel. One reluctant promise and several rounds of gunfire later, Jim and his rickety pickup truck are transporting Miguel to his Chicago relatives, a posse of deadeyed cartel goons on their tail. Luckily, Jim’s repeated use of a credit card — despite a bag full of cash under his dash — is making their pursuit much easier.

Slow and simple and minimally violent, “The Marksman,” directed by Robert Lorenz, cares more about bonding than brutality. Predictable to a fault, the movie coasts pleasurably on Neeson’s seasoned, sad-sweet charisma — an asset that’s been tragically imprisoned in mopey-loner roles and generic action thrillers. That melted-caramel brogue should be flirting with Diane Lane or Debra Winger, not teaching children how to use guns.

The Marksman Rated PG-13 for the shooting of several bad men and one very good dog. Running time: 1 hour 47 minutes. In theaters. Please consult the guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before watching movies inside theaters.

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The marksman, common sense media reviewers.

Guns and violence in well-made but cliche-ridden thriller.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Raise the question of why, if they follow all the

Jim Hanson is a law-abiding man with a good heart.

Guns and shooting; characters are shot and killed,

One use of "f--k," and a few uses of "s--t," "ass,

Pop Tarts prominently shown in one scene.

Main character drinks shots/whiskey in a bar and f

Positive Messages

Raise the question of why, if they follow all the rules, people sometimes still wind up with the short end of the stick. But there's never any question that people should continue to move forward by following rules and trying to do the right thing. Violence has repercussions. Reinforces "White savior" plot cliches.

Positive Role Models

Jim Hanson is a law-abiding man with a good heart. He barely hesitates before taking on a dangerous good deed. He perhaps resorts to violence a little too quickly, but he pays a price for that. Although some of the movie's immigrant characters are viewed sympathetically, the ones who seem, intended to be perceived as "good" (aside from Miguel) aren't on screen long enough to become well-developed characters. And the villains are total one-note cliches.

Violence & Scariness

Guns and shooting; characters are shot and killed, sometimes with bloody wounds. Character hung by wrists on a chain. Villain strangles a young woman. Character slices her leg on fence (blood shown). Bloody animal corpses. Character shoots dog (offscreen), followed by dog burial. Bloody, wounded foot. Stabbing. Fighting. Car crash with fire. An 11-year-old boy is briefly taken hostage. Dialogue about main character's wife who died of cancer.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

One use of "f--k," and a few uses of "s--t," "ass," "bastard," "goddamn," "damn," "hell," "crap," and "piss."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Drinking, drugs & smoking.

Main character drinks shots/whiskey in a bar and from a flask. He gets sleepy-drunk in more than one scene, but no other consequences.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Marksman is an action/thriller starring Liam Neeson as a White man who agrees to transport an 11-year-old Mexican immigrant from Arizona to Chicago while pursued by members of a killer cartel. It's well-made, but cliches in the story and the oversimplified representation of characters of color (as well as the White savior elements of the plot) eventually sink it. Expect to see lots of guns and shooting, bloody wounds, stabbing, fighting, and animal corpses. A woman is shot and killed, and another is strangled. A dog is shot and killed offscreen. A boy is briefly in peril, and there's dialogue about a woman dying of cancer. Language is strong but infrequent, with one use of "f--k," plus "s--t," "ass," "hell," etc. The main character drinks in a few scenes and seems to get sleepy-drunk, but there are no other consequences. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Based on 4 parent reviews

"Woke" reviews by Commonsense media

What's the story.

In THE MARKSMAN, former U.S. Marine Jim Hanson ( Liam Neeson ) is now a rancher living on the Arizona border and struggling with paying the bills after his late wife's long illness. He happens upon a young mother, Rosa (Teresa Ruiz), and her 11-year-old son, Miguel (Jacob Perez), crossing the border from Mexico. Rosa begs him not to call the border patrol because she and her son are being pursued by evil cartel leader Maurico ( Juan Pablo Raba ) in retaliation for Rosa's brother stealing a bagful of money. When Rosa is shot, she asks Jim to take Miguel to live with family in Chicago. Jim reluctantly agrees, over the objections of his step-daughter, Sarah ( Katheryn Winnick ). But first Jim must keep Miguel, and himself, safe from the villains pursuing them.

Is It Any Good?

Thanks to Robert Lorenz 's smooth, simple direction and Neeson's appealing, sympathetic bond with young Perez, this action-thriller, which is steeped in cliché from top to bottom, very nearly gets by. Lorenz, a producer and/or assistant director on many Clint Eastwood movies, channels his mentor with The Marksman , using unhurried, classical storytelling and treating the creaky old material with care. Neeson's Jim Hanson is shown both with an American flag draped over his shoulder (as the bank tries to take his ranch away) and showing concern for an injured immigrant ... even as he calls border patrol.

Perez is a sweet kid who's positively portrayed, but too little time is spent on other characters of color, and the Mexican villains are crushingly one-note: They're depicted as pure evil with no humanity. Neeson is fine in his low-key role: Hanson is a good man at heart (like Tom Hanks' similar role in News of the World ) who just happens to be handy with firearms. The actor's fans will be pleased with the traditional shootout ending, which is presented neatly and without cluttery shaky-cam or choppy editing. But even as The Marksman wraps up, it already starts to fade from memory.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about The Marksman 's violence . Did it feel thrilling or shocking? How much is directed at women? At animals? How does that affect its impact on you?

How are immigrants and/or people of color depicted in the film? Did you notice any stereotypes ? How do stereotypes counteract attempts at diverse representation?

How is drinking depicted? Is it glamorized? Are there consequences for drinking? Why does that matter?

How did you feel about the main character teaching the 11-year-old boy how to handle a gun?

What's the appeal of Neeson as an action hero? How is he different from other movie action heroes? Do you think his character here can be seen as representing the "White savior" cliche?

Movie Details

In theaters : January 15, 2021
On DVD or streaming : May 11, 2021
Cast : Liam Neeson , Katheryn Winnick , Teresa Ruiz
Director : Robert Lorenz
Inclusion Information : Female actors, Latino actors
Studio : Open Road Films
Genre : Action/Adventure
Run time : 108 minutes
MPAA rating : PG-13
MPAA explanation : violence, some bloody images and brief strong language
Last updated : June 21, 2024

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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'The Marksman' Review: The Latest Liam Neeson Action Movie Aims For The Heart

It's not a good time for much, but weirdly enough, it is a very good time to be a Liam Neeson fan. While DC-heads just had to watch its latest offering on their televisions and Marvel-stans don't really know when they're likely to see Black Widow, Liam Neeson has starred in not one, but two theatrical offerings during the pandemic: first the generic and boring Honest Thief and now the much better but still pretty generic The Marksman . Congrats to you, if your favorite films involve grizzled Irish tough guys with huge hearts of gold. And even if you're tired of this fare, you could do a lot worse than get stuck watching The Marksman . The film involves a road trip of sorts, featuring Liam Neeson as a cowboy protecting an immigrant boy on the run from a drug cartel. Their trip from Arizona to Chicago should be simple enough, but an untrustworthy truck and a ton of movie coincidences favoring the villains keep their arrival in suspense right up until the bloody end, especially if you've never seen a movie before. Aside from its occasional bursts of violence, however, The Marksman offers a relaxing ride. The boy seems genuinely tough, not too precocious. Neeson's character has a classic cute movie dog. They eat at restaurants and discuss Chicago hotdogs and generally bond in a way that feels earned. At one point, Neeson teaches the kid to shoot a gun. Stuff like that. Measured against other films, there isn't much here, but that's also by design. These movies are meant to pop up one day, only to become interchangeable with the sea of other Liam Neeson films soon after. They might as well not have titles. When they do, it's best if they broadly describe Neeson's character: "Oh, he's a marksman in this one. Here's one where he's an honest thief." As such, it's better to compare them with each other rather than the slew of other films that might come out each calendar year. This one has a bit more character than normal. It's PG-13, but it makes sure to grab its F-Bomb. The film smartly condenses the cartel hunting Neeson and the kid to one main tough-guy. He's not on that The Counselor -tier of gritty realism, but he's mean enough to feel serious. And he has a genuine axe to grind since Neeson kills his brother in the film's opening incident of marksmanship. Neeson himself plays a guy named Jim Hanson. This character is a lot of things: a Vietnam vet, a widower, an alcoholic, someone economically destroyed by America's brutal healthcare system. Few of these character quirks come into direct play. You'd expect his drinking problem to eventually become a big deal, but it never really does. It's just window dressing. He's not riddled with guilt or seeking redemption or anything, just sad and old and broke, waiting around to finally die. These films frequently try to make Neeson too perfect. The Taken series, for instance, was way too interested in making him the world's greatest (absent) dad. The problem is affection-seeking dads to adult children are kind of lame. Here he has an adult step-kid and she spends most of her time taking care of him . It's way better to watch him bond with a child over time because it means he can start rough and grow softer from there. It also helps that The Marksman cribs from the Western suite of action tropes. He can be noble and teach a kid to shoot a pistol at the same time. Jim Hanson isn't perfect. He's not good at much. He's talented at sniping but he doesn't even do that very often. Despite touching upon illegal immigration, The Marksman doesn't take a strong political stance, so don't come for any sort of polemic on the issue. Hanson snitches on illegal immigrants he sees, but he's compassionate enough to call an ambulance for one in need of medical attention. The film does have obvious sympathies for the mother and son running to America solely to save their own lives, and portrays nearly every authority figure near the border as corrupt. Meanwhile, Jim Hanson's experience as a typically upstanding, hardworking American who fought for his country, yet got crushed under the boot heel of economic oppression does position him as a bit of a lapsed Republican, someone who made sure no one was peeking when he checked the box for Biden. But, like his alcoholism, it's more window dressing than anything the film directly utilizes or comments upon. If you watch enough of these films, one can easily forget Neeson's ability to do challenging work. Here, he's just kind of coasting. There's a vague attempt at an accent early on, but it doesn't stick. He only gives us one good "Y'all" and it's just as awkward as that sounds. Neeson spends most of the film just being Liam Neeson. That's okay because Liam Neeson is a cool guy to be. On stature and performance alone, he's still one of Star Wars ' most interesting Jedi, for instance. He's a movie star for a very good reason. And The Marksman makes better use of him than these films normally do. Nevertheless, it lacks vitality or distinction enough to set it above other Liam Neeson action films. You know what you're getting into as soon as it starts. Ultimately, The Marksman hits its generic target. It is the kind of film you watch on accident more than seek out, but you probably won't regret the accident. /Film Rating: 6 out of 10

‘The Marksman’ Review: Cowboys vs. Cartels, Liam Neeson-Style

By K. Austin Collins

K. Austin Collins

In The Marksman , Liam Neeson plays Jim Hanson, a former Marine living in Naco, Arizona, within spitting distance of a border fence. This means that he can phone local authorities when he sees a new crew of “I.A.’s” making their way into the country, on the one hand, and offer water to the stragglers left behind to fend for themselves after that merciless crossing, on the other. So: unquestionably law-abiding, but also, in excess of what the law requires, notably humane. The first thing we see him do is shoot a coyote — the animal, that is, not one of those doomed and frequently dangerous smugglers of desperate migrants across the border. But the double meaning is clear.

You suspect that Jim would probably prefer above all to be left alone on his ranch to sulk with his dog, Jackson. His daughter, Sarah (Katheryn Winnick), works for border patrol. Good for her. His wife, meanwhile, has recently passed away after a long and brutal illness. And now, more trouble: A young boy named Miguel (Jacob Perez) runs out in front of Jim’s dusty blue Ford pickup, his mother not far behind him. There’s a crew of cartel assassins on their tail. And, well, the inevitable happens. A shoot-out, an unexpected killing: Hanson is Miguel’s de facto guardian, now, with a mother’s dying wish — get the boy to family in Chicago — on his conscience. And a bag of someone else’s money in his front seat.

The Marksman is a borderland action weepie, a Liam Neeson movie in a Clint Eastwood costume. But what every Eastwood movie lacks is the humor of an Irish actor whose accent remains defiantly, subtly Irish, no matter how hard he tries (if indeed he does try). Eastwood movies also tend to be “better”: sharper, weirder, more fraught, if not always less predictable. Whereas Neeson — with the likes of the Taken franchise under his belt — is the 21st century’s granddaddy of American Dad Action. Mix the two and you get … something! Not a great movie, but courtesy of director Robert Lorenz, a lean, plausibly entertaining one with all the fixin’s and none of the extra flab of deep, incisive meaning. It’s a buddy movie, a cartel chase, a sentimental redemption story. It’s a comfort watch.

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The star and the premise are the obvious attractions here, but you have to savor the little things in pulp like this. For example, there’s the ongoing cat-and-mouse dilemma that sustains the plot, with the vicious cartel killers, led by Maurico (Juan Pablo Raba, suitably dangerous, even fun to watch), taking no prisoners and offering near-nothing in the way of personal qualities beyond chewy villainy. But this is a movie whose real soul is in the image of Neeson with an American flag draped over his shoulder, the Arizona plains playing a parched but handsome backdrop to his life. Or in him telling a stooge from the bank about his wife’s ashes buried just yonder on his property — a way of getting a little sympathy for his late mortgage payments. (Her illness is what bankrupted him.) The movie is steeped in the man’s utter sense of compromise: his drinking problem, the fact that he’s losing his home despite having served his country. It coasts on our awareness of the Tough Choices to come, to say nothing of our sympathy for the circumstances that landed Hanson here.

The Marksman ‘s damnation is its predictability; it’s saving grace is the smattering of small details that ward off self-seriousness. Miguel knows more English than Jim at first assumes (a light punchline) and is a sprightly, responsible whippersnapper who walks Jim’s dog when the man is too drunk. Obviously the movie has a stirring, infuriating political crisis at its heart — and it isn’t here to shout out against that crisis outright so much as make due. The Marksman ’s politics are old-school cowboy politics: less compassionate conservatism than compassionate vigilantism. Lorenz’s direction is swift, capable, and to the point, and he sells us on this idea pretty effectively. “I already called the cavalry,” Jim says, at one point, to the cartel brutes. “So I suggest y’all just … turn around and adios . ” (A good, cheesy line; the movie’s full of them.)

What starts off as a beleaguered portrait of a dead-end frontier hero soon reminds us that violence in the name of moral goodness trumps all. In the end, not even the cops can be trusted. The odds are stacked so heavily against the hero that the ending is damned to be bittersweet. How could it be anything but? Men like Jim are a dying species, the movie seems to say. Then it points to Jim himself and says: Case in point.

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The Marksman (2021) Movie Review – Strives to be a thoughtful action pic but misses the mark

The marksman misses the mark..

2008’s Taken has a lot to answer for. It wasn’t a bad film, but by turning Liam Neeson into an aged action hero, it opened the floodgates for a slew of other films that positioned Neeson as the older generation’s John Wick. Two sequels followed, neither as good as the first. And the actor then starred in other films to capitalize on his heroic new status, with the likes of Non-Stop , The Commuter , and Honest Thief showcasing his ‘particular set of skills’ when saving the day.

I don’t have a problem with Neeson’s action-man image but the quality of the films that have showcased this have been variable, at best. His latest film, The Marksman , is more thoughtful than most, but it isn’t very good. Now streaming on Amazon Prime, this one stars Neeson as Jim, an ex-Marine Corp vet, who lives off the land from his Arizona cattle ranch.

Within minutes of the film starting, we learn that Jim’s ranch is being put up for foreclosure. This is because he is unable to pay off his home loan as his late wife’s medical bills crippled his finances. We also find out that Jim is a recovering alcoholic. It’s this kind of backstory that gives the film an air of familiarity. There is nothing necessarily wrong with this but it’s indicative of the film’s overall lack of originality.

After this initial setup, the story progresses when Jim takes a young Mexican boy, Miguel, under his wing. The boy’s mother has been shot dead by typical cartel stereotypes and as is common in film’s of this type, Jim tasks himself with the mission of protecting him. What we have next is a road movie of sorts with Jim, his dog, and the boy, fleeing the country with the cartel bad guys hot on their heels.

Neeson takes on the kind of role that Clint Eastwood may have played 10 years ago. There are similarities to that actor’s Gran Torino , another film where a grizzly old war veteran protects the life of a youngster. The director of The Marksman , Robert Lorenz, has actually worked with Eastwood in the past, so it’s of little surprise that this latest film evokes memories of that legendary actor. But whereas most of Eastwood’s films benefited from quality scripting, this latest effort falls down because of its plot holes and clichés.

This isn’t to say the story has nothing to offer. Despite the occasional shootout and car chase scene, it’s more than just another “run and gun” action film. Within the basic thriller plot is a side-story that touches on the plight of immigrants so it is a tad more thoughtful than some other films in the genre. However, as Jim journeys with Miguel to Chicago, the home of the boy’s other relatives, there are very few surprises to maintain interest.

As is usual in this kind of film, Jim and Miguel bond, fall out, and become friends again. Jim’s tough demeanour inevitably softens as their relationship deepens and Miguel’s hostility towards the older man eventually fades. The film turns into an action weepie rather than an action thriller, which wouldn’t be a bad thing if it didn’t feel so predictable.

At this point, you might assume the film isn’t worth watching. And on one level, it probably isn’t, especially if you’re looking for a lot of gunplay and movie star heroics. Despite the film’s title, Jim rarely shows off his marksmanship skills, which raises the question, why slap a generic name onto it? The answer is probably obvious, of course. I imagine it was chosen to bring in the Taken crowd who want to see another Neeson action flick where he fights against the odds. But as I alluded, those tuning in to see him kick ass are going to be disappointed.

There are some highlights. The relationship between Jim and Miguel, while contrived, does offer a few sweet moments. And the ending, while mostly expected, does offer up one surprise before the credits roll. Those audience members willing to adjust to the film’s slow pace and occasional melancholic tone may be less critical than those expecting something more explosive.

However, with a conventional script and a large number of plot inconsistencies, this too often misses the mark. It’s not as bad as the recent run of Bruce Willis movies that have gone to streaming. Unlike that ageing actor, Neeson’s career hasn’t died hard (sorry)! However, now might be the time for him to give up the action heroics to focus on films that are far more appropriate for his age and his well-lauded acting talents.

Feel free to check out more of our movie reviews here!

Verdict - 6/10 6/10

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Marksman’ on VOD, Another in a Growing Pile of Boilerplate Liam Neeson Action Movies

Where to stream:.

The Marksman
Liam Neeson

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Another year, another movie requiring Liam Neeson to carry a gun and wear a weary expression. Now on VOD, The Marksman is the latest of the stalwart star’s steady-as-she-goes action movies with interchangeable titles and interchangeable characters and interchangeable plots (although I’ll admit that The Grey stands out because it’s the one where Neeson fights WOLVES with his DAMN BARE HANDS). So as Neeson’s wont to do, will he make this movie good enough to watch, or is it just crappy in spite of him? Let’s find out.

THE MARKSMAN : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Jim’s (Neeson) dwindling cattle ranch in Naco, Arizona butts right up against the Mexican border fence. We meet him as he lines up a coyote (literal, as in the four-legged animal) in his rifle sights and guns it down for killing one of his calves. Foreshadowing? Symbolism? MAYBE! He drives his battered American-made pickemup truck along the small portion of property he has left after selling chunks of it out of desperation. Sometimes he finds thirsty, suffering, vulnerable Mexican people in the scrub and reporting them to the border patrol: “Found one,” he says into his radio, and we’d find such objectification more objectionable if he hadn’t just shown some kindness and given the man some water.

He gets back to his house where he’s met by a bank jerk delivering a foreclosure notice. Jim points to a hill and tells the jerk that’s where his wife’s ashes are spread, but the jerk just reminds him he has 90 days, maybe less, to pay up or get out. Jim’s a Marine Corp vet who’s about to lose his farm because his late wife’s medical bills crippled him financially: America! He’s also an alcoholic whose stepdaughter Sarah (Katheryn Winnick), who happens to work for the border patrol, has to schlep his drunk butt home from the local watering hole. This is precisely the type of nothing-to-lose situation that’s ripe for Jim to, oh, I don’t know, come across a Mexican single mom and her son sneaking through the fence while being chased by cartel stereotypes, forcing him to gun down one of the bad guys during a firefight during which two people are killed, the sociopathic boss’ brother and the single mom, and therefore compelling one to road-trip the boy to his relatives in Chicago while being chased by the hellbent revengeful bad guys. Don’t you HATE when that happens?

Coincidentally, that’s exactly what happens to Jim. So he and young Miguel (Jacob Perez) sidestep the border patrol stepdaughter and take off in the now bullethole-ridden American-made pickemup truck, with the stereotypes hot on their heels. The road ahead of them is full of large, dangerous plot holes (not a typo), but I had confidence that Jim could drive and/or shoot through them at least competently. Not that I’m going to reveal whether or not he does that, because I SHOOT AND KILL SPOILERS FROM VERY FAR AWAY.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: The Marksman exists somewhere in the muck among Shooter ‘s ex-military sniper story, American Sniper ‘s bumpy Clint Eastwood politics, a Clint Eastwood grumpy-old-man movie, a Clint Eastwood grumpy-old-man Western and a half-dozen Liam Neeson actioners like one of the Taken s, Non-Stop and/or The Commuter .

Performance Worth Watching: Even in prosaic mediocrities like The Marksman , Neeson’s deep-sigh depictions of sad-guy desperation have just enough soul to make us almost care about what happens. (If you want a great recent Neeson performance, queue up Ordinary Love , but be warned, there’s no action or dumbass cliches in it.)

Memorable Dialogue: “It’s a hell of a thing, killing a man. Take away all he’s got, and all he’s ever gonna have.” — William Munny to the Schofield Kid, Unforgiven

Er, I mean, “Nothing feels good about killing a man.” — Jim to young Miguel, The Marksman

Sex and Skin: None.

Our Take: I know what you’re thinking — is this yet another sniper movie? Almost. It’s actually less original than that, being a conglomeration of generic characters working their way through a sloppyplot stacked with yeah-RIGHT eyeroller moments that gun down our suspension of disbelief from 375 meters away. Everything here is a cliche as weary as Neeson’s facial expressions: Tough-guy vet lost his wife, is losing the farm, drinks too much, bonds with the orphan boy on a road trip, gives the kid a shooting lesson, is way smarter than the bad guys, exists in a story that conveniently ignores the conflict of interest of his border patrol stepdaughter working his case, etc.

I’m surprised Jim doesn’t undergo a softening of his worldview, but it’s defined with enough vagueness that one can’t help but conclude that director/co-screenwriter Robert Lorenz is trying very hard to be apolitical. Jim’s take on immigration is that the government needs to get its act together, a no-shit-sherlock assertion that’s generically critical of The State of Things, but flies in the face of what we actually see in the movie, which is a distasteful depiction of drugs and thugs leaking out of Mexico. But this is Hollywood, so we’ll just give it a pass, right? NOPE: Looking beyond its basic-thriller plot, this movie is junked up with thoughtless, problematic subtext fitting a grossly xenophobic political narrative.

I feel the need to point out how The Marksman features the dumbest gun-store scene since the Bruce Willis Death Wish remake, and offers a crucial life lesson about NOT circling your road-trip destination on an atlas with a red felt-tip pen because it makes it easier for the Mexican bad guys to follow you — Mexican bad guys who, by the way, are so deeply connected that they’ve got cops on their payroll deep into the U.S., cops who conveniently patrol the exact same roads our protagonists are taking to Chicago. It’s really quite remarkable. Sure seems like there’d be more commonsensical ways of getting to a final shootout between the aging vet and the murderous heavies at a Midwestern farm that’s curiously populated with zero farmers, but I’m not a screenwriter earning piles of Hollywood money to write this dreck.

Our Call: SKIP IT. Neeson has used his charismatic presence to single-handedly rescue some boilerplate action movies from the scrap heap, but The Marksman is not one of them.

Should you stream or skip the Liam Neeson action movie #TheMarksman on VOD? #SIOSI — Decider (@decider) May 12, 2021

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com or follow him on Twitter: @johnserba .

Where to stream The Marksman

Prime Video
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DVD & Streaming

The Marksman

Action/Adventure , Drama , Thriller

Content Caution

Liam Neeson shoulders a rifle and aims in The Marksman.

In Theaters

January 15, 2021
Liam Neeson as Jim; Katheryn Winnick as Sarah; Juan Pablo Raba as Maurico; Jacob Perez as Miguel

Home Release Date

April 27, 2021
Robert Lorenz

Distributor

Open Road Films

Movie Review

As Jim Hanson rides the lower part of his Arizona ranch with his faithful dog, Jackson, he can’t help wonder how the world came to this.

He’s worked hard, paid his taxes, served his country. And yet here he is in the latter part of his life with what little he has being snatched away from him.

His beloved wife got sick from a horrible disease, and that drained away nearly every dime they had. Then she passed, and that drained away everything good left in Jim’s life.

The bankman showed up next, notifying Jim that he had 90 days before his scrub-covered stretch of land along the Mexican border would go into foreclosure.

How did it come to this?

Jim is wrenched out of his revery, though, when he almost hits a pair of illegals climbing through the border fence near the dirt road he’s driving. After slamming on his breaks and giving a call on his radio to the border authorities, he realizes that the pair appear to be a mother and son. And she’s pretty hurt: a nasty cut she got while climbing through the wire fence.

As Jim moves to help, he also spots drug-cartel thugs climbing out of their large black SUV on the other side of the fence. “Sorry, Pancho, these illegals are mine,” Jim calls when one of the thugs demands the return of the woman and her boy.

Then the shooting starts. And Jim, a former marine sharpshooter, returns fire. When it’s all said and done, the woman is shot and bleeding out. She offers Jim money and hands him a blood-soaked scrap of paper with an address in Chicago where the boy’s relatives are. And she begs Jim to promise to bring her son to them.

Of course, that’s insane. He’ll simply hand the boy over to border patrol. They’ll take care of him. But there’s something about the fevered intensity of those cartel goons. And there’s been just enough dirty money exchanging hands and corruption amongst the local authorities, that Jim is pretty sure the boy will be dead or back in the wrong hands very soon.

Even if Jim has lost everything else, he still has the ability and the wherewithal to protect an innocent. That hasn’t yet been stripped away from him.

Besides, he hasn’t been to Chicago in some time.

Positive Elements

In spite of his gruff exterior, there’s definitely a goodness to Jim’s action. He wants to do right by this boy, whose name is Miguel. And as the two travel together, they form a mutual understanding and friendship.

Jim also doesn’t want to break the law. But that’s something he feels forced to do to in order to protect Miguel and keep him out of corrupt hands.

Meanwhile, Jim’s stepdaughter, Sarah, is a border patrol agent. And she stretches her authority as much as possible to help protect her father.

Spiritual Elements

Early on, we see a statue of Jesus in a small Mexican town. As she dies, Miguel’s mother gives him her rosary.

Miguel, who was raised in a Catholic family, states that Jim’s dog is in heaven after the animal is shot and killed. Jim, however, makes it plain that he believes there’s “no such thing.”

When Miguel worries that his mother never got a proper funereal, Jim stops at a church and arranges for a small funereal service through a local pastor.

Sexual Content

Violent content.

We see a bloody man being tortured while hung up by his wrists under an overpass. The camera also catches a glimpse of a man with bloody feet who was injured while crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.

There are a number of shootouts between cartel thugs and Jim. He uses his sharpshooter skills to shoot various men in the head and chest from a distance. We also see one well-placed shot cause a speeding vehicle to flip and crash—after which, badly bloodied men crawl out of the wreckage. Jim gets shot as well and is stabbed several times in the side while being thumped around by a large man.

Jim also fights with a corrupt cop whom he eventually punches in the face and knocks unconscious. Cartel goons then arrive and execute the fallen policeman with a bullet to the head. A cartel henchman manhandles a young girl at a service station then kills her (offscreen). These criminals burn Jim’s ranch house down.

A man is given a sidearm to “honorably” end his own life. He does so (off-camera). We see a woman and a man both wounded and bleeding out. Jim shoots a wolf that’s attacking a young cow. (The camera examines the gaping bloody wound on the animal.)

Crude or Profane Language

A half-dozen s-words are joined by multiple uses each of “a–,” “h—” and “d–n.” God’s and Christ’s names are both misused on four occasions (with God being combined with “d–n” on three of those).

Drug and Alcohol Content

Jim drinks quite heavily on several occasions in a bar and a restaurant, twice getting pass-out drunk. He also carries a flask that he sips from. However, as he starts connecting with Miguel, he purposely bypasses the booze to stay clear-minded.

It’s obvious that the thugs chasing Jim and Miguel are part of a drug cartel. (Though we never see the drugs themselves.)

Other Negative Elements

We see several occasions where U.S. police and border agents break the law because they’ve been paid off with drug money.

Liam Neeson has found himself fitting snuggly into the older-guy-uses-his-seasoned-skills-to-take-on-some-nasty-characters kind of role. You know, the sort of grizzled hero part that both Charles Bronson and Clint Eastwood championed in the latter part of their acting careers.

In this case it’s the tale of an aging ex-Marine sharpshooter whose crumbling ranch is facing foreclosure after his beloved wife’s hospital bills nearly wipe him out. He’s a lonely widower who just wants to do the right thing while fearing that the corrupt world around him won’t.

That’s the kind of selfless hero you can root for. And his choices suggest that there’s still something healthy and decent at the American core.

The problem is, while reaching for that goodness, this hero and his story both wade through quite a bit of bloody murders, heavy drinking and foul language. And their final dreary denouement—involving loss, suicide and ill-fated injuries—is none too heartening either.

Even this film’s sacrificial victory, then, plays out as something of a tragic defeat. You can blame it on a weak script or a faltering directorial vision. But The Marksman makes for a rather depressing and cheerless trip to the movies.

After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.

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‘The Marksman’ Review: Liam Neeson Saves a Mexican Boy From Cartel Slaughter in a Feel-Good Action Road Movie

15 Strongest Transformers, Ranked

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Some Transformers are stronger than others, regardless of their transformations. Even the most unlikely alternate modes unfold to unleash some of the universe's toughest Robots in Disguise. This doesn't just include the Autobots and Decepticons, but also the deities seen in the Transformers Universe.

These Transformers boast immense physical power and incredible techniques, making them indispensable on the battlefield. Others combine the might of other Cybertronians into one unit, creating terrifying "gestalts." When power isn't enough, size more than makes up for it, with some of the strongest Transformers also being the biggest.

Updated by Timothy Blake Donohoo on July 8, 2024: There are several robots in disguise that are made of sterner stuff, but when it comes to the strongest Transformers, the list includes only the mightiest. Ranging from Autobots and Decepticons to even one of the former group's descendants, the most powerful Transformers possess strength that goes beyond mere lifting power. Armed with weapons and abilities beyond those of normal Cybertronians, these characters have power that easily dwarfs that of even Optimus Prime himself.

15 Brawn Is a Small but Powerful Autobot

Brawn from Transformers: Generation One in robot mode.

Brawn
Faction	Alternate Mode	Original Continuity
Autobot	Land Rover Defender 4 x 4	Generation 1

Split image shows underrated Transformers like Hot Rod, Elita-One and Tidal Wave

Transformers' Most Underrated Characters, Ranked

Throughout the Transformers franchise, many characters have been overlooked by fans and deserve a second look.

As his name suggests, Brawn has a lot of physical power, despite his small frame. One of the G1 "Mini-Bots," he was easily able to take on enemies larger than himself. This made him far more useful than several of the other Transformers in his size class. In fact, the series Transformers: Animated briefly showcased him to accentuate these elements. That separate continuity characterized him as being stronger than Bulkhead, even though he was smaller than the fan-fvorite Autobot Bumblebee .

X-Brawn from Transformers: Robots in Disguise had a similar design to G1 Brawn
Brawn's animation model was radically different from his more robotic-looking toy
Other Mini-Bots included Cliffjumper, Warpath, Powerglide and Cosmos

Sadly, this level of power wasn't enough to save him from a bloodthirsty Megatron and his Decepticon hordes. Ambushed by some of the strongest Decepticons, Brawn and several other Autobots were killed off at the beginning of The Transformers: The Movie . Thus, while he's quite tough, even he has his limits.

14 Ironhide Is Always Ready to Bust Some Deceptichops

Ironhide
Faction	Alternate Mode	Original Continuity
Autobot	Nissan Onebox Cherry Vanette	Generation 1

Ironhide is many times portrayed as Optimus Prime's right-hand robot, and for good reason. Tough, gruff and just mean enough, Ironhide is hardened by countless battles against Decepticons and is never against engaging in more of them. He's sometimes portrayed as having massive arm cannons (as in the live-action Transformers movies), though G1 made his weapon of choice a liquid nitrogen dispenser.

In Generation 1, Ironhide was voiced by Peter Cullen, who also voiced Optimus Prime
In the Michael Bay Transformers movies, Ironhide and Ratchet do not share a body style
The original Ironhide toy lacked a true head, as it was originally a figure for a piloted mecha in the Diaclone series

This battle-ready attitude is somewhat the opposite of Ratchet, who usually shares a body style with Ironhide. Both physically strong and a great marksman, Ironhide's power allows him to take the fight to the Decepticons. Of course, if they happen to gang up on or ambush him, he's as vulnerable as anyone else.

13 Optimal Optimus Combined the Might of the Greatest Maximal and Autobot

Optimal Optimus dwarfing the other Maximals in Beast Wars: Transformers.

Optimal Optimus
Faction	Alternate Mode	Original Continuity
Maximal	Gorilla, car and jet

Optimus Primal was the Maximal descendant of Optimus Prime , with the bestial robot transforming into a gorilla instead of a truck. During the third season of Beast Wars: Transformers , however, he was forced to unite with the spark of his ancestor. This came after the Predacon version of Megatron attempted to assassinate a dormant Prime and change history. Mutating into "Optimal Optimus," this ultimate form of the Maximal leader was far larger than the other combatants of the Beast Wars.

The Optimal Optimus was repainted into the character Primal Prime
Optimal Optimus was Optimal Primal's third body in Beast Wars
Megatron used his own version of the Optimal Optimus body in the finale of Beast Machines: Transformers

Now equipped with Autobot-level strength and resistance, he was able to fight off the Predacons more easily than ever. He was also a lot larger and now had four separate modes. Best of all, his new Autobot-inspired body had the fuel efficiency of a Maximal, allowing him to take on Predacons or even Decepticons for as long as he needed to.

12 Jetfire is One of the Most Iconic Autobots

Jetfire in Transformers: War for Cybertron in robot mode.

Jetfire
Faction	Alternate Mode	Original Continuity
Autobot (former Decepticon)	Cybertronian jet (Valkyrie VF-1)	Generation 1

10 Transformers & GI Joe Stories the Crossover Movie Should Use

If the Transformers are crossing over with G.I. Joe for a movie, there are comic books from both franchises the film should pull story elements from.

Though he usually starts off as a Decepticon, Jetfire tends to find his way onto the Autobot team. Sometimes known as "Skyfire" in the original Transformers cartoon, he's one of the few Autobots that can fly. He also has an especially tall robot mode, and when combined with his scientific mind, the classic version of Jetfire is the perfect mix of brawn and brains.

Jetfire/Skyfire's toy was based on the Valkyrie VF-1 from the Macross anime franchise
Armada Jetfire was based on the obscure Autobot known as Galaxy Shuttle
Some continuities portray Jetfire and Starscream as former friens

Other versions of Jetfire can even combine with Optimus Prime, with this concept introduced in Transformers: Armada . In almost every continuity, his command of the air vastly outranked Seekers such as Starscream . He was also able to survive in stasis after seemingly dying when he crashed on Earth, making him one resilient Autobot and one of the strongest Transformers.

11 Grimlock Is the Mighty King of the Dinobots

Grimlock
Faction	Alternate Mode	Original Continuity
Autobot/Dinobot	T. rex	Generation 1

The leader of the animalistic Dinobot faction and a popular character ever since Generation 1, Grimlock is known for his tyrannosaurus alternate mode and fittingly fierce attitude. He's extremely tough in both forms and can even breathe fire in beast mode. What he generally lacks in intellect, he more than makes up for in power.

Grimlock's energon-sword can emit fire.
Grimlock has survived a point-blank energon refinery explosion with little damage.
Grimlock briefly had super-intelligence in the animated series, which he used to create the Technobots.

In most continuities, Grimlock is easily one of the strongest Transformers. In fact, he's usually portrayed as being at least as strong as powerhouse Transformers like Optimus Prime , Jetfire, and Megatron. Unlike the Autobot leader himself, Grimlock can also fly without any outside assistance, making him even more of an asset.

10 Devastator Is One of the Strongest Combiner Transformers

Devastator
Faction	Alternate Mode	Original Continuity
Decepticon	N/A	Generation 1

The first Combiner/Gestalt in the series, Devastator is the combined form of the Constructicons. Simple-minded in his pursuit of wanton violence, Devastator's only aim is to destroy whatever's in his path. Possessing an extra team member compared to most other Combiner groups, it's no wonder that Devastator has proven to be one of the strongest Transformers.

Devastator comprises six Gestalt team members instead of merely five.
Devastator once escaped a volcano unscathed.
Devastator can create powerful winds simply by moving his arms.

One of Devastator's greatest feats is surviving lava from a volcano. Additionally, he has proven able to fend off the enraged might of the Dinobots, and served as a rival for the Titan-class Autobot Omega Supreme. His main limitation is that he uses an early version of the Combiner technology. Despite this, he's still popular, even inspiring the title of the video game Transformers: Devastation .

9 Predaking Is the Most Ferocious Decepticon

Predaking
Faction	Alternate Mode	Original Continuity
Decepticon	N/A	Generation 1

Transformers: The 20 Strongest Decepticons, Ranked

The Decepticons from Transformers have some formidable characters among them, but which ones are the strongest?

Predaking was another Combiner who introduced after the events of The Transformers: The Movie . Combining the animalistic ferocity of the G1 Predacons, Predaking stood against both the Dinobots and the arrogant Sky Lynx. This made him easily the most popular of the later Combiners and one of the most powerful Transformers.

Predaking is perhaps the only Decepticon Combiner with a truly unified mind.
Predaking can easily lift 500 tons.
Predaking can create an energy field that keeps others at bay for up to 10 feet.

Predaking's later advancements made him stronger than the likes of Menasor and even Devastator. Additionally, he wasn't a complete brute like Abominus. Combining wild fury with incredible power, he was definitely a cut above the mostly mindless warriors the other teams merged into. Predaking later returned in a new form during the events of Transformers: Zone .

8 Bruticus Is One of the Most Brutal Transformers

Bruticus
Faction	Alternate Mode	Original Continuity
Decepticon	N/A	Generation 1

As his name might suggest, Bruticus is a truly violent and terrifying Decepticon Combiner. Uniting the power of the battle-ready Combaticons, this merged form is one of the strongest Transformers ever. A true killing machine, Bruticus is the exact opposite of his emergency-based Autobot counterpart, Defensor. This made him a more exact rival than the feud between Superion and Menasor.

The toy for Bruticus was used to create Ruination in Transformers: Robots in Disguise
In the G1 cartoon, the Combaticons were created by Starscream from the remains of World War II vehicles
The scheming salesman Swindle is sometimes portrayed as being separate from the rest of the Combaticons

Like other Combiners, Bruticus also wields "Scramble Power." This allows him to rearrange his limbs, with an arm becoming a leg, and vice versa. It's a useful skill that allows him to recalibrate on the fly, ensuring that one of the storngest Transformers is always ready to step on helpless Autobots. Of course, if someone his size comes onto the battlefield, he's more than able to pick on them, too.

7 Fortress Maximus Is Much More Than Meets the Eye

Fortress Maximus in awe during a scene from Transformers: The Headmasters.

Fotress Maximus
Faction	Alternate Mode	Original Continuity
Autobot	Battleship/city	Generation 1

The third major Titan-class Autobot in G1, Fortress Maximus' alternate mode was a gigantic battleship that combined with a smaller robot that formed his head in robot mode. He was a major part of the later G1 cartoon episodes and even the Marvel Comics G1 series , where he was binary bonded with the Autobots' human ally Spike Witwicky. Despite combining with a human, his full size maded him one of the biggest Transformers besides Unicron and Primus.

Besides his smaller head units, Fortress Maximus has two drones named Gasket and Grommet.
Fort Max's repair bay has the equipment and spare parts to restore any other Transformer.
Fortress Maximus shares a psychic link with the other Autobot Headmasters.

The version from the anime Transformers: The Headmasters was so mighty that Fortress Maximus needed a "Master Sword" to become Fortress Maximus. Unfortunately, this was also a major limitation, since stopping him from drawing the sword prevented his transformation. Likewise, separation from the head unit had a similar result, giving one of the strongest Transformers a notable weakness.

6 Scorponok Wields Eight Legs Worth of Power

Scorponok
Faction	Alternate Mode	Original Continuity
Decepticon	Robotic scorpion	Generation 1

The original G1 version of Scorponok was the rival of Fortress Maximus, and seemingly just as powerful. As one of the biggest Transformers, he had many of the same resources, including smaller partners who fought alongside him. Unlike Fort Max, Scorponok wasn't a "double Headmaster," giving him less of a weakness by needing only one head robot.

In Transformers: Masterforce , Devil Z possessed Scorponok and became Black Zarak/Dark Scorponok.
Scorponok destroyed Cybertron in the G1 anime continuity.
Scorponok is highly intelligent, as both a strategist and a scientist.

Likewise, Scorponok didn't have an equivalent to the Master Sword. While this left him without a comparable weapon beyond his gun, it also meant that his transformation wasn't tied to an external device. This made it much easier for him to transform and go on the attack against his enemies. This meant one of the most powerful Transformers was unencumbered compared to Fortress Maximus.

5 Metroplex Has the Might of Autobot City

Metroplex rises to his feet in robot mode.

Metroplex
Faction	Alternate Mode	Original Continuity
Autobot	Battle station/city	Generation 1

Split image of a Go-Bot with Optimus Prime and Goldbug from Transformers comics

10 Transformers Secrets Only Comic Readers Know

The Transformers comic books added several elements to the franchise's mythos, namely as it relates to overlooked origins for different Decepticons.

One of the biggest Transformers, Metroplex is actually a segment of Autobot City, albeit a sentient part that can transform into a robot. Metroplex had less of a one-track mind compared to Omega Supreme. He was also simply a stronger and bigger Autobot, dwarfing the power of even the combiner teams.

Metroplex can lift up to 75,000 tons.
In city mode, he can safely host and repair several Autobots.
Metroplex mentally controls the electrokinetic Scamper and the tank Slammer.

Since he wasn't a Headmaster, Metroplex had a major advantage over Fortress Maximus. One big drawback of Metroplex, however, is that he needed a transformation cog to turn into his robot form. This led to an extended sequence at the beginning of the third season of Transformers in which Metroplex was completely helpless until Wheelie and Blurr supplied him with said cog.

4 Trypticon Is a Prehistoric, City-Sized Menace

Trypticon
Faction	Alternate Mode	Original Continuity
Decepticon	Battle station/city/dinosaur	Generation 1

Trypticon was the first Decepticon Titan-class figure, and he was a massive beast indeed. His main robot mode was a gigantic robotic dinosaur, and this form was matched with tons of physical power. Although he was far more dim-witted, Trypticon was still a worthy match for Metroplex and one of the strongest Transformers.

Trypticon is essentially impervious in dinosaur mode.
His optical lasers emit mind-controlling Hypno-beams.
Trypticon's battle station mode, despite its size, can achieve speeds of 800 mph.

Additionally, Trypticon doesn't require a transformation cog for transformation. This allowed him to go into robot mode much faster. Conversely, his status as a Decepticon meant he could also fly, an ability that Metroplex lacked. Still, he wasn't very intelligent, which allowed others to outsmart him.

3 Piranacon Swims Up from the Depths

Piranacon
Faction	Alternate Mode	Original Continuity
Decepticon	N/A	Generation 1

The last major G1 Combiner in the West, Piranacon was the combined form of the Seacons. According to the Marvel Transformers guidebooks, he had the most physical strength of any Combiner, eclipsing even some of the city Transformers. On top of that, one of Piranacon's combiner units turned into a gun, making him the only Targetmaster Combiner.

Piranacon can lift up to 4,000,000 tons.
Can easily operate up to 30,000 feet below sea level.
Piranacon is virtually impervious to weapon fire, making up for his slow land speed.

Sadly, the Seacons are some of the most obscure Transformers, meaning that their strength is rarely showcased. They have no clear Autobot rival, which again speaks to their power level. As a later combiner, this incredible strength can be explained as advancements in the Combiner technology.

2 Primus Is the God of the Transformers

Primus
Faction	Alternate Mode	Original Continuity
N/A	Cybertron	Generation 1

Optimus Prime with human friends along with Wheelie and Beast Machines

10 Transformers and Concepts the Energon Universe Should Avoid

While the Energon Universe has introduced several fan-favorite Transformers, some characters from the franchise might not work in these comics.

A far cut above any of the more common Transformers is Primus, the god of their entire species. Like his children, Primus also has an alternate mode, his being the planet Cybertron itself. He created the Cybertronian species through the body of his planet mode, using them to fight his evil brother.

The spherical computer Vector Sigma is sometimes portrayed as the house for Primus' spark.
Primus can travel through dimensions.
Primus can shed his physical form and become a being of pure light.

Unfortunately, the constant warring on Cybertron weakened Primus to the point where the planet became a lifeless husk. As a result, it's rare for Primus to assume his robot mode. Likewise, his constant dormant state is what initially caused the Autobots and Decepticons to seek other sources of energon.

1 Unicron Is the Devilish Chaos Bringer

Unicron
Faction	Alternate Mode	Original Continuity
N/A	Robotic planet	Generation 1

The evil brother of Primus, Unicron is a dark Transformer who consumes whole worlds in his own massive planet mode. Unlike his brother, Unicron was never dormant, and was freely able to transform into robot mode. He could also move throughout dimensions and planes of existence.

Unicron has limited omniscience and can sense events elsewhere.
Unicron created the Mini-Cons in the Unicron Trilogy anime.
Dark Energon serves as the corrupting blood of Unicron.

Just as Primus created Transformers from his own body, Unicron could reformat his heralds. He turned the dying Decepticon leader Megatron into Galvatron, doing the same for others in his ranks. He even inflicted great pain on them to control them, showing just how much power he wields over those who serve him. Weak only to the power of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, Unicron is easily the most powerful Transformer.

Transformers

Transformers is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms, such as vehicles and animals.

All the Movies and Shows Coming to Amazon Freevee in February 2024

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Amazon Freevee continues to offer some solid free movies and shows (with ads). February sees the continuation of Judy Justice and the return of How to Train Your Dragon to the service. If you're looking for a great family film, the Ryan Reynolds -led film Pokémon: Detective Pikachu is a fantastic take on the Pokémon universe, as Reynolds plays the electric pocket monster. Maybe a more mature story is your speed? Ryan Coogler 's directorial debut, Fruitvale Station , was the beginning of the now decade-long collaboration between Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan . This very underrated film will leave you emotional.

The Hailee Steinfeld coming-of-age drama, The Edge of Seventeen , and the LeBron James and Bugs Bunny team-up Space Jam: A New Legacy will also be available on the streamer. If horror is more your speed, Nia DaCosta 's remake of Candyman also arrives later this month.

Here is the complete list of all the movies and shows coming to Freevee in February 2024.

All the Movies and Shows Coming to Prime Video in February 2024

New titles from Jennifer Lopez, Donald Glover, and Camila Mendes will be making their way to Prime Video this February.

Available February 1, 2024

A Soldier’s Story (1984)
All Saints (2017)
Birthright Outlaw (2023)
Dog Days (2018)
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Life of Crime (2013)
Mortal Engines (2018)
National Champions (2021)
New in Town (2009)
Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019)

Detective Pikachu

Ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son, Tim, to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry's former Pokémon partner, wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth Detective Pikachu. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to work together, as Tim is the only human who can talk with Pikachu, they join forces to unravel the tangled mystery.

Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)
The Current War (2017)
The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
The Marksman (2021)
The Wife (2017)
White Chicks (2004)
White House Down (2013)

Available February 7, 2024

A Piece of Cake (2019)

Available February 13, 2024

Candyman (2021)

Available February 14, 2024

Fruitvale Station (2013)

Available February 29, 2024

Warcraft (2016)
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The Marksman Reviews

Written, directed, lensed, and edited with all the grace of a drum-set falling down an elevator shaft.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5 | Sep 17, 2005

Movie Review: Eddie Murphy returns to Beverly Hills, which is good enough for everyone

Judge Reinhold is in a truck barreling down the highway chased by angry cops when he turns to Eddie Murphy at the wheel and says something we’re all feeling, “God, I missed you, Axel.”

Judge Reinhold is in a truck barreling down the highway chased by angry cops when he turns to Eddie Murphy at the wheel and says something we're all feeling, “God, I missed you, Axel.”

We all really did, but we get the sarcastic and sweet Axel Foley once again in Netflix's “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” exactly 30 years since “1994’s Beverly Hills Cop III.” Is the new movie any good? Who cares?

The fourth outing brings back not just Murphy and Reinhold to the Axel Foley Cinematic Universe, but also long-time co-stars Paul Reiser, John Ashton and Bronson Pinchot. Kevin Bacon, Taylour Paige and Joseph Gordon-Levitt make their debuts.

The plot is pretty simple: Murphy's Foley is living his best cop life in Detroit — destroying things spectacularly — when he's asked to urgently return to Beverly Hills to help his estranged daughter, played with real grit by Taylour Paige. He then gets caught up in a murder case that has dirty cops and lets him make fun of snooty Beverly Hills.

Newcomers may be puzzled by the slow pace and '80s feel of Mark Molloy's directed sequel. It's not as funny as previous ones or ambitious in the way sequels for beloved franchises have gotten . But it has Murphy blowing stuff up and joking about it — all we need, really.

“Goddamn, Foley. Here we go again,” says Ashton, playing the exasperated chief of police, and that sentiment runs through the fourth entry. All you need to make your Gen X friends happy is a montage of Murphy behind the wheel while “The Heat Is On” by Glenn Frey plays. (“Neutron Dance” by The Pointer Sisters also returns).

Speaking of music, the filmmakers seem to want to break some sort of record for Most Theme Song Plays in a Single Movie, as the instrumental tune ”Axel F″ by Harold Faltermeyer is cued up, by one rough count, approximately 5,000 times.

There are also a lot of vehicles commandeered in “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” perhaps a nod to the advanced age of the core group. There's a snowplow, a helicopter, a golf cart and trucks, none of which are returned in mint condition.

The screenwriters — Will Beall, Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten — leave plenty of places for Murphy to improvise but also craft some surprisingly strong dialogue between Foley and his 32-year-old daughter, both nursing hurt feelings.

“You didn’t fight. I’m your daughter. The only thing you’ve ever fought for is your job,” she tells him. “Look, we both messed this thing up. All right? Let's just call it even.” Come for the explosions, stay for the heart-to-hearts.

Murphy uses Mary J. Blige's “Family Affair” and proves it. In one scene, Foley is arrested while trying to drive away in a comically small cop car. One of the traffic cops is played by Murphy’s daughter, Bria, one of his 10 kids. Another cop who later tases him is a son-in-law.

A lot has changed in the three decades since Foley was breaking rules and skulls and there's the feeling of a requiem as these aged men go into battle again. “They don’t want swashbucklers out there anymore. They want social workers,” Reiser's detective says.

There are jokes about Wesley Snipes, small yappy dogs and Spirit airlines, a scary shootout on Wilshire Boulevard, way too much synth played and an inside joke about the last sequel, a stinker: Gordon-Levitt goes through all of Foley's brushes with the California police and says “'94, not your finest hour.”

“Axel F” is not exactly Murphy's finest hour, either. But Murphy just saying “Jesus!” is funny. Let's hope we don't have to wait another 30 years for our next Axel Foley fix. God, we've missed him.

“Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F," a Netflix release that starts streaming Wednesday, is rated R for “language throughout, violence and brief drug use.” Running time: 117 minutes. Two stars out of four.

MPAA definition of R: Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Online: https://www.netflix.com/title/81076856

Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

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Hunt: Showdown - From the Wilds

This content requires a game (sold separately).

Game requires online multiplayer subscription to play on console (Game Pass Core or Ultimate, sold separately).

Description

This DLC contains two Legendary Hunter variations, two Legendary Weapons, and one Legendary Consumable: - Trapper: Buckshot (Hunter), Trapper: Snare (Hunter) - Open Season (Springfield 1866 Marksman) - Trail Marker (Caldwell Conversion Uppercut Precision) - Hart’s Hope (Regeneration Shot) The most powerful memory Robert Hogen and Laura Merrill share is one of smoke.  Cousins whose families lived together in a ramshackle homestead in the Rockies, they awoke one night to fire and chaos. Merrill stumbled out the door to find Hogen crouched in terror as a screaming figure wreathed in flames shambled off into the woods. They could only watch as fire devoured everything and everyone they knew.  Trusting no one but each other, they did what they could to establish themselves on the ruins of the homestead. Their efforts seemed doomed to fail.  The pair were starving when mountain man Thomas Bridge stumbled across their encampment. Taking pity, he stayed with them, fed them, and showed them how to survive in the wild.   The pair were quick learners, thriving under Bridge’s instruction. He also introduced them to the local Indigenous trappers. When their skill surpassed his, he decided they were ready to survive on their own. They awoke one morning with him gone.  At first, they thrived, bringing in massive harvests of furs. But other trappers sought to steal the secrets of their rich hunting grounds. Rich men from back east claimed the lands of the forest, sending armed desperados to chase the Trappers out.  The pair fought back. Still, it almost came as a relief when they got a telegram from Bridge on a trip into town to sell their wares. He had gone to Louisiana to hunt a new kind of prey and needed guns at his back he could trust. In addition, he might have uncovered clues to what happened that fiery night long ago.  Cashing in what they had caught, the pair set out for the south. They did not know what they would be facing, but they would heed their adoptive father’s call.

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IMAGES

Movie Review
The Marksman
The Marksman Movie Review
The Marksman (2021) Review
Movie Review: “The Marksman” (2021)
The Marksman Review: Liam Neeson Goes Full Clint Eastwood

COMMENTS

The Marksman movie review & film summary (2021)
In contrast with the "Taken" films, this time he's the one doing the taking, albeit for a good cause. The bulk of "The Marksman" finds Jim, Miguel, and Jackson making their way from Arizona to Illinois, the cartel villains on their tail, led by an especially over-the-top Juan Pablo Raba.Then again, all these characters are flat stereotypes of violent, Mexican thugs; the script from ...
The Marksman (2021)
Neeson makes a more affable protagonist than curmudgeon Eastwood Jun 9, 2024 Full Review Zach Pope Zach Pope Reviews Liam Neeson as a Farmer/Marksman/Defender The same stuff he always plays ...
The Marksman
Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 26, 2021. The Marksman is a well balanced act of action and drama. A straight story with enough plot twists to keep you entertained for 108 minutes. A story ...
'The Marksman' Review: Liam Neeson in a Feel-Good Action Road Movie
The Marksman. 'The Marksman' Review: Liam Neeson Saves a Mexican Boy From Cartel Slaughter in a Feel-Good Action Road Movie. Reviewed online, Jan. 11, 2021. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time ...
'The Marksman' Review
Rated PG-13, 107 min. Liam Neeson. Liam Neeson plays an ex-Marine sharpshooter attempting to protect a young boy from a Mexican cartel in Robert Lorenz's action thriller 'The Marksman.
The Marksman
The Marksman. R 2005 1h 35m Action Mystery & Thriller. List. Reviews. 23% Audience Score 2,500+ Ratings. Painter (Wesley Snipes) is a government agent who specializes in resolving high-risk crises ...
The Marksman (2021)
The Marksman: Directed by Robert Lorenz. With Jacob Perez, Harry Maldonado, Teresa Ruiz, Alfredo Quiroz. A rancher on the Arizona border becomes the unlikely defender of a young Mexican boy desperately fleeing the cartel assassins who've pursued him into the U.S.
The Marksman (2021)
7/10. Satisfactory in all respects. pietclausen 20 April 2021. Perhaps some people expect a fast action movie from Liam Neeson, but The Marksman is a slower and touchy story with enough tension and violence to satisfy many viewers. A star rating of 7 is justified.
Film Review: Liam Neeson's new action movie, The Marksman
Movie review: In the new action film The Marksman, Liam Neeson plays a former Marine-turned-rancher who has to help a young undocumented Mexican boy get to his family in Chicago, while on the run ...
The Marksman
Hardened Arizona rancher Jim Hanson (Liam Neeson) simply wants to be left alone as he fends off eviction notices and tries to make a living on an isolated stretch of borderland. But everything changes when Hanson, an ex-Marine sharpshooter, witnesses 11-year-old migrant Miguel (Jacob Perez) fleeing with his mother Rosa (Teresa Ruiz) from drug cartel assassins led by the ruthless Mauricio (Juan ...
The Marksman Review: Liam Neeson Goes Full Clint Eastwood
January 12, 2021 9:30 am. "The Marksman". Clint Eastwood's shadow looms large over " The Marksman ," even if you don't know that this quick and greasy Liam Neeson thriller is directed by ...
The Marksman Review
The Marksman, starring Liam Neeson and Vikings' Katheryn Winnick, is a forgettable entry into cranky-codger-who-kills cinema.
'The Marksman' Review: In Need of a Mission
The Marksman Rated PG-13 for the shooting of several bad men and one very good dog. Running time: 1 hour 47 minutes. Running time: 1 hour 47 minutes. In theaters.
The Marksman Movie Review
Our review: Parents say ( 4 ): Kids say ( 1 ): Thanks to Robert Lorenz 's smooth, simple direction and Neeson's appealing, sympathetic bond with young Perez, this action-thriller, which is steeped in cliché from top to bottom, very nearly gets by. Lorenz, a producer and/or assistant director on many Clint Eastwood movies, channels his mentor ...
'The Marksman' Review: The Latest Liam Neeson Action Movie Aims ...
'The Marksman' Review: The Latest Liam Neeson Action Movie Aims For The Heart By Evan Saathoff / Jan. 12, 2021 8:00 am EST It's not a good time for much, but weirdly enough, it is a very good time ...
'The Marksman' Review: Cowboys vs. Cartels, Liam Neeson-Style
The Marksman is a borderland action weepie, a Liam Neeson movie in a Clint Eastwood costume. But what every Eastwood movie lacks is the humor of an Irish actor whose accent remains defiantly ...
The Marksman (2021 film)
The Marksman is a 2021 American action drama film directed by Robert Lorenz.The plot follows a rancher and former Marine (Liam Neeson), living in an Arizona border town, who must help a young boy (Jacob Perez) escape a Mexican drug cartel. Katheryn Winnick, Juan Pablo Raba, and Teresa Ruiz also star.. The film was theatrically released in the United States on January 15, 2021, by Open Road ...
The Marksman (2021) Movie Reviews
Hardened Arizona rancher Jim Hanson simply wants to be left alone as he fends off eviction notices and tries to make a living on an isolated stretch of borderland. But everything changes when Hanson, an ex-Marine sharpshooter, witnesses 11-year-old migrant Miguel fleeing with his mother Rosa from drug cartel assassins led by the ruthless Mauricio.
The Marksman (2021) Movie Review
The Marksman (2021) Movie Review - Strives to be a thoughtful action pic but misses the mark. 19 April 2022 8 November 2021 by Lee Brown. The Marksman Misses The Mark. 2008's Taken has a lot to answer for. It wasn't a bad film, but by turning Liam Neeson into an aged action hero, it opened the floodgates for a slew of other films that ...
'The Marksman' Movie Review: Stream It or Skip It?
The Marksman exists somewhere in the muck among Shooter's ex-military sniper story, American Sniper's bumpy Clint Eastwood politics, a Clint Eastwood grumpy-old-man movie, a Clint Eastwood ...
The Marksman
The Marksman makes for a rather depressing and cheerless trip to the movies. ... Movie Review. As Jim Hanson rides the lower part of his Arizona ranch with his faithful dog, Jackson, he can't help wonder how the world came to this. He's worked hard, paid his taxes, served his country. And yet here he is in the latter part of his life with ...
'The Marksman' Review: Liam Neeson Saves a Mexican Boy ...
There are more clichés than bullets flying around in "The Marksman," an action movie starring Liam Neeson and all that implies. And there are a lot of bullets. ... Feel free to post reviews, links to articles and public domain video, material concerning hard-boiled crime fiction and related subjects. Members Online. Neo Noir: Hickey & Boggs ...
The Strongest Transformers in the Franchise, Ranked
Optimus Primal was the Maximal descendant of Optimus Prime, with the bestial robot transforming into a gorilla instead of a truck.During the third season of Beast Wars: Transformers, however, he was forced to unite with the spark of his ancestor.This came after the Predacon version of Megatron attempted to assassinate a dormant Prime and change history.
Everything Coming to Amazon Freevee in February 2024
Ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son, Tim, to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry's former Pokémon partner, wise-cracking ...
The Marksman
The Marksman Reviews. Written, directed, lensed, and edited with all the grace of a drum-set falling down an elevator shaft. Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5 | Sep 17, 2005. Rotten Tomatoes ...
Movie Review: Eddie Murphy returns to Beverly Hills, which is good
Judge Reinhold is in a truck barreling down the highway chased by angry cops when he turns to Eddie Murphy at the wheel and says something we're all feeling, "God, I missed you, Axel."
Buy Hunt: Showdown
This DLC contains two Legendary Hunter variations, two Legendary Weapons, and one Legendary Consumable: - Trapper: Buckshot (Hunter), Trapper: Snare (Hunter) - Open Season (Springfield 1866 Marksman) - Trail Marker (Caldwell Conversion Uppercut Precision) - Hart's Hope (Regeneration Shot) The most powerful memory Robert Hogen and Laura Merrill share is one of smoke.

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