I can't think of one cliché that was left unexploited, but remember, I have always said clichés become clichés because they work, as a result, after formulaic (and endless) fisticuffs, gun-play and vehicular mayhem, the last 10 minutes of this movie had me holding my breath.
Here we have an ageing hitman taking on his former boss (and childhood friend) in order to protect his own son from the former boss's wacko son. The dialogue that explains all of this is overwrought and tedious. Both Harris and Neeson are highly capable actors, so I blame the script.
We see:
- Liam Neeson ("Taken 3") Jimmy Conlon is the hitman in question. This movie starts with him dying and voicing his regrets for the way he has lived his life. Then we go back 12 hours to see how this came about.
- Joel Kinnaman ("RoboCop") is his decent, law-abiding (and alienated) son Mike. Mike has a job and a family, plus a deep, abiding dislike for his murderous father.
- Ed Harris ("Pain & Gain") Shawn Maguire will do anything to avenge his son, even though he knows he "went wrong."
- Boyd Holbrook ("The Skeleton Twins") Shawn's son Danny depends on his father to bail him out once more; this time from some cut-throat Albanians.
- Jelani Robert Joseph in his first role, is Marcus, a fatherless youngster who looks to Mike for guidance. He is in a position to really help Mike.
- Common ("Selma") Mr. Price is the fellow to call when someone is tough to kill. He ALWAYS delivers!
- Vincent D'Onofrio ("The Judge") Detective Harding is the only cop Jimmy trusts, even though he has been trying to arrest him for years.
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Take a look:
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi4227706393
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Take a look:
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi4227706393
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