Summary
Liam Neeson’s best action film since 2008’sTakenwill soon be leaving streaming. The Ireland-born actor fosters an illustrious career dating back to the late 70s and has not only performed but excelled in films of various genres, i.e., the 1993 historical epicSchindler’s List,for which he earned an Academy Award nomination and the 2004 biographical romanceKinseythat drew him a Golden Globe nomination. In 2008, Neeson unexpectedly took a chance at a genre with a bit more grit by starring in thecast of Pierre Morel’s action thrillerTakenand shone there, too.
Neeson was ordained a bonafide action star for his role asTaken’sretired CIA operative Bryan Mills. With Neeson at the fore,Takenflipped its $25 million budget into a $226.9 million worldwide haul and was well-received by audiences (as demonstrated by its 85% audience score onRotten Tomatoes), giving rise to many more opportunities in the genre for him to pursue, including twootherTakenfilms.Takenwas an explosive start to Neeson’s action career and, in some corners, is considered his best.However, another action hit may better represent the heights he can climb in the genre.
Liam Neeson’s 10 Best Action Movies, Ranked
Liam Neeson has carved out his own subgenre of modern action movies after the success of Taken, becoming an iconic and profitable figure in the field.
The Grey
Cast
The Grey follows a group of oil workers who fend off a pack of hungry wolves in the Alaskan wilderness after a plane crash leaves them stranded in the Alaskan wilderness. The cast includes Liam Neeson, Frank Grillo, Dermot Mulroney, Dallas Roberts, Nonso Anozie, and Joe Anderson.
Off the back ofTaken, Neeson featured in the action filmsFive Minutes of Heaven,Clash of the Titans,The Next Three Days, andUnknownuntil coming upon the survival action thriller co-written, produced, anddirected by Joe Carnahan,The Grey. Based on the short story “Ghost Walker” by Ian MacKenzie, who co-wrote the screenplay with Carnahan,The Greyfollows oil refinery workers headed home from a grueling five-week shift who become stranded in the Alaskan wilderness after their plane wrecks. As it happens, the tragedy is only the start of a very harsh and strenuous fight for survival.
By the end ofThe Grey, viewers have experienced a chilling and thrilling Neeson film like never before.
Of the survivors are Neeson’s John Ottway, John Diaz (Frank Grillo), Jerome Talget (Dermot Mulroney), Pete Henrick (Dallas Roberts), Todd Flannery (Joe Anderson), Jackson Burke (Nonso Anozie), and Dwayne Hernandez (Ben Bray), anddespite their efforts to remain alive, mortal injuries, icy climate, and a pack of territorial wolves complicate the matter. ByThe Grey’sending, viewers have experienced a chilling and thrilling Neeson film like never before. Critics, especially, held the movie in high regard with an 80% rating, Neeson’s highest action film RT critical score besidesIn The Land of Saints and SinnersandThe Dark Knight Rises.
Why The Grey Is Liam Neeson’s Best Action Movie Since Taken (& Beats It)
The Grey Is One Of Neeson’s Higher Rated Action Films
Regarding critical and audience reception, Neeson’s subsequent action films rarely bestedThe Grey, definitively cementing itas the actor’s peak action film of the 2010s and possibly his best to date. Although Neeson came to be a verifiable action star, the actor unfortunately got mixed up in some critical and/or commercial action flops, including but not limited toWrath of the Titan,Battleship, and most surprisingly, theTakensequels. Various action gems have popped up in Neeson’s acting catalog, butnone have matched the intensity or screen time of the actor’s performance inThe Grey.
Besides 2023’sIn The Land of Saints and Sinners(84%) andThe Dark Knight Rises(87%),The Greyholds Neeson’s highest RT critical approval of an action movie at 80%.
Shocking Liam Neeson Rotten Tomatoes Stats Show His Action Movie Downfall
Liam Neeson’s action movies became incredibly popular after Taken, but Retribution continues his Rotten Tomatoes downfall in the genre.
So is the question of howThe Greyholds up to Neeson’sTaken. Takenwas a crowd-puller and has generated enough effect on viewers to burgeon into a cult classic. However, when compared toThe Grey,Taken’spremise skews toward popcorn fare.The Greyis a fight for survival,inspiring action sequences that are bone-chilling, brutal, and relentless. Opinions will inevitably vary, but one thing’s for sure.The Greyleaves HBO at the end of this month (viaJustWatch), and with it, so does the ability to weigh it up against the movie that turned Neeson into an action star.
Taken
Taken stars Liam Neeson as ex-Green Beret and ex-CIA operative Bryan Mills, who retired from his life of fighting in order to be there for his family. When his teenage daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) travels to Paris and is kidnapped by human traffickers, Mills launches into action, mounting a one-man rescue mission that sees him tear through gangs of European criminals with extreme prejudice in hopes of finding and rescuing Kim before it’s too late.
