Absolution (Moland, 2024)

Written by Lara Rosales

Or possibly a final farewell for Liam Neeson in the action genre...

Wherever I go, I am the Liam Neeson girlie. His name has been a household name for as long as I can remember and will continue to be so for decades to come, as I have named my son after him. Trust me when I say that the news of his probable soon-to-be retirement from action movies hurt like a punch in the stomach.

In 2008, Neeson was introduced to a new type of audience with the movie Taken. Among that new audience was I, a young, impressionable girl terrified by the plot line, but completely in awe of Neeson’s work. From that moment on, every movie he made, I watched. And so was born my passion for the action genre, but above all, my passion for Neeson in the action genre. Many men had been doing it before him, and many will do it after, but none will come close to the tall, former boxer, Irish man.

After the news of his upcoming retirement from the genre came the premiere of his newest movie, Absolution. Even though the movie is described as a crime and a thriller, most of us connected that to action simply by knowing Neeson’s name was attached to it. Truthfully, most crime movies are a synonym for action these days, so this wasn’t such a terrible assumption.

However, the movie lacks the action a Neeson film has gotten us used to. There are punches, shots, and stab wounds here and there, but nothing remarkable. The movie is the sad story of a used-to-be criminal losing his memory and everything in his life. He dies alone, and not even that is truly peaceful.

This piece, however, isn’t a movie review in which I tell you what the movie gets right or wrong. This is my very sad yet incredibly proud thank you to Liam Neeson for giving us some of the best action movies we have ever seen. If someone has earned a retirement from a specific genre, it is definitely him. He has paid his dues and then some.

If Absolution genuinely is Neeson’s goodbye to the action genre, it is sadly a disappointing one. Thug isn’t a character one can sympathize with or even feel sorry for. His lonesome, sad death is comparable to the end of this remarkable career. Doesn’t someone who gave so much to action deserve a glorious, explosive send-off?

Neeson said he feels he can’t keep fooling audiences at his age, but the truth is that he could. There is something about the way in which he does action that would make us believe he is kicking ass until the very end. It is in his voice and his presence. Maybe one could blame it on the height. Whatever it is, he could still do it.

Absolution doesn’t give us that. Yes, he still knows how to carry himself, but what’s written for him isn’t what would honor a long-standing career in action. On the contrary, it feels as if all of that is lost.

Nevertheless, the acting is there. Neeson proves that he can take any genre and deliver a memorable performance. Even if the film isn’t what one expected or something one would rewatch, he delivers a top-tier performance that adds merit to his name and his career. If this is the end of action, he has everything in his favor to pick any other genre and continue to surprise us the way he has his entire career.

The action genre is usually looked down on. Many self-proclaimed cinephiles believe it doesn’t deserve to be celebrated or that it is “easy” to make. If Neeson’s wide range of action films can prove something, it is that there is nothing “easy” about this genre. So much more goes into it than most viewers care to understand, and Neeson has done a great job of sticking to it for so long, delivering legendary performances like that of Bryan Mills.

If this is goodbye, I hope it’s only from action movies. If this is goodbye from action movies, I hope fans continue to remember his many other roles in this genre that made his career iconic. Above all, if this is goodbye from action movies, I hope Liam Neeson knows that he has owned the genre for many years, making fans around the world sit on the edge of their seats waiting for the next punch.

Thank you, Liam Neeson, for decades of delivering great punches and iconic lines, fighting the bad guys and giving us hope, and making sure every girl felt safe, at least while watching a movie. After all, he proved he has a very particular set of skills.

(Now we wait and see if 2025 brings us the action goodbye he deserves.)

Photo credits : Samuel Goldwyn Films, Universal Pictures, Lionsgate, 20th Century Fox