“Absolution” is the latest Liam Neeson action drama, though there actually really isn’t a lot of action in this one. He plays a guy called Thug — an aging gangster and former boxer. His boss for the past 30 years is played by Ron Perlman in a meaningless role. Thug begins to forget his name, Boston address and other simple things. Too many blows to the head in the ring have affected his memory (the title of another recent Neeson picture). He’s just a year or two away from being completely incapable of taking care of himself, so he seeks to reconnect with family he hasn’t seen in a long time (his daughter) or ever (his grandson).
But he also wants to take on a few final jobs and right some wrongs before his time is up. The problem is these tasks get much more challenging, and dangerous, especially because of run-ins with the wrong crowd. Thug also has regrets, particularly involving his relationship with his father. Odd dream sequences take us there.
“Absolution” is from Hans Petter Moland, the director of 2019’s awful, throwaway “Cold Pursuit”. This is a slight improvement, mostly because of a somewhat gritty and intense dynamic between Thug and his daughter, especially early on. But as the film progresses, the story spirals, tackling too much. In the end it’s unsure of what it really wants to say. There’s a romance that doesn’t work, along with scenes at a restaurant (one of the most awkward of the year) and with the grandson at the gym. It all becomes generic, sappy, predictable, flat and forgettable.
Many of Neeson’s recent acting efforts in this genre have been for smaller studios (like Samuel Goldwyn, which also distributed the *much* better “In the Land of Saints and Sinners” earlier this year). He is headlining Paramount’s “The Naked Gun” revival (opening in theaters next summer) but that’s definitely going to lean into comedy. When it comes to action dramas, Neeson says he might actually be done with them… but it’s been over 10 years since “Taken 3”. Hollywood loves long-awaited sequels. What about a bigger budget, bigger studio “Taken 4”?
LCJ GRADE: D+
Running Time: 112 min.