Director Jaume Collet-Serra works with his “Non-Stop” star Liam Neeson again in the latest action thriller. Our action-fan J.P. gives his thoughts on “Run All Night.”
RUN ALL NIGHT
Warner Bros. Pictures
MPAA Rating: R for “strong violence, language including sexual references, and some drug use”
Run Time: 114 minutes
Studio Synopsis:
From Warner Bros. Pictures comes the action thriller “Run All Night,” starring Oscar nominee Liam Neeson (“Schindler’s List,” “Non-Stop”), Joel Kinnaman (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”), Vincent D’Onofrio (“The Judge”), and Oscar nominee Ed Harris (“Pollock,” “The Hours”), under the direction of Jaume Collet-Serra (“Non-Stop”).
Brooklyn mobster and prolific hit man Jimmy Conlon (Neeson), once known as The Gravedigger, has seen better days. Longtime best friend of mob boss Shawn Maguire (Harris), Jimmy, now 55, is haunted by the sins of his past—as well as a dogged police detective (D’Onofrio) who’s been one step behind Jimmy for 30 years. Lately, it seems Jimmy’s only solace can be found at the bottom of a whiskey glass.
But when Jimmy’s estranged son, Mike (Kinnaman), becomes a target, Jimmy must make a choice between the crime family he chose and the real family he abandoned long ago. With Mike on the run, Jimmy’s only penance for his past mistakes may be to keep his son from the same fate Jimmy is certain he’ll face himself…at the wrong end of a gun. Now, with nowhere safe to turn, Jimmy just has one night to figure out exactly where his loyalties lie and to see if he can finally make things right.
“Run All Night” stars Neeson, Kinnaman, D’Onofrio, Bruce McGill (“Ride Along”), Genesis Rodriguez (“Identity Thief”), Boyd Holbrook (HBO’s “Behind the Candelabra”), Holt McCallany (“Gangster Squad”), with Common (“Now You See Me”) and Harris.
Collet-Serra directs from a screenplay by Brad Ingelsby (“Out of the Furnace”). The film is produced by Roy Lee (“The Departed”), Brooklyn Weaver (executive producer, “Out of the Furnace”), and Michael Tadross (“Gangster Squad,” “Sherlock Holmes”), with John Powers Middleton (TV’s “Bates Motel”) serving as executive producer.
The behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Martin Ruhe (“The American”), production designer Sharon Seymour (“Argo”), editor Dirk Westervelt (“Journey to the Center of the Earth”), and costume designer Catherine Marie Thomas (“The Heat”). The music is by Oscar nominated composer Alan Silvestri (“The Polar Express,” “Forrest Gump”).
Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Vertigo Entertainment production, “Run All Night.” The film is set for release on March 13, 2015, and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
J.P.’s Take:
“Run All Night” is surely the most gratifying action flick to come from director Jaume Collet-Serra and writer Brad Ingelsby.
It makes the most of its lean script and bristly action sequences. Although it doesn’t pull any elaborate schemes to out smart the baddies, however, it does provide enough trickery on Jimmy Conlon’s (Liam Neeson) behalf to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. You won’t find any cloaky hide and seek games being played here either.
The first half of the film sets up a suspenseful and congruent story arc between two veteran Mafiosos. With its Irish mobster movie undertone and filmed with pulp fiction cinematography; “Run” takes the “if you shoot my dog, I’ll kill your cat” mentality to great lengths. After Jimmy Conlon kills his ex-mob boss, Shawn Maguire’s son Danny (Boyd Holbrook), the chase is a foot. Both Jimmy and son Michael Conlon (Joel Kinnaman) go on the run in order to protect their family.
Moreover, Collet-Serra keeps the momentum flowing with a rousing car chase through the streets of New York. It’s a bull doggish chase, which turns fatal for Conlon’s pursuers. Other exciting scenes come from the cat and mouse game in the subway. Jimmy and Michael is fleet of foot trying to stay two steps ahead of their assailants. When finally confronted, Jimmy doesn’t back down — he makes quick work of his opponents with bone crunching results. As Maguire sends out more of his cronies, Jimmy comes out guns-a-blazin’ leaving bodies in his wake. Neeson reverted to his lightsaber fighting days in a scene inside a burning apartment building. He battles the methodical assassin named Mr. Price (Common) with a flaming table leg, and then sears Mr. Price’s face against a burning wall.
Much of the film’s danger riddled atmosphere flourishes due to the all-star cast. Liam Neeson gives his most striking performance as Jimmy Conlon, once a hitman for Maguire’s mob. Earning the nickname “The Gravedigger,” Neeson portrays the character as an ex-assassin with a guilty conscious, who still boasts the reflexes of a lethal killer.
Moments with Ed Harris as Shawn Maguire prove foreboding, as he spews venomous threats; even viciously stabbing one of his lackeys to death. Joel Kinnaman as Michael Conlon gives us an embittered interpretation of a son at odds with his estranged father. He doesn’t release his forgiving side too soon; still he puts forth the effort to help mend their relationship.
Common carves out a niche performance for himself, as the systematic assassin Andrew Price. He felt more like a human terminator, who is methodical and unceasing in his attack. The remainder of the cast includes Vincent D’Onofrio as Detective Harding, who slightly breaks free from the confines of his role in “Law & Order.” Genesis Rodriguez gives an endearing and stubborn portrayal of Gabriela Conlon Michael’s wife. An uncredited and nearly unrecognizable Nick Nolte makes a surprise appearance as the weary uncle of Michael Conlon.
“Run All Night” doesn’t break new ground in the action genre, yet there is very little pause in its kinetic energy. There are plenty of spills and thrills to fill its 114 running time, with enough down time to catch your breath. Again, it is efficient, lean and mean and despite its meager flaws, I rank it second to Denzel’s “The Equalizer.” Nicely done.