There are few things more frustrating than when a movie has a misleading title.
The movie does take place over a single night. The characters are fleeing from some pretty angry dudes.
However, when I hear the title “Run All Night” and see a poster with a leather-clad Liam Neeson, I expect to see a fun, fast-paced action movie that would leave me wondering why it wasn’t called “Taken 4.”
Oh, was I wrong. At its core, this is no action movie rather it’s a thriller through and through.
In an intro that takes far too long, we discover that Jimmy (Neeson) is a bum that used to work for Shawn (Ed Harris), killed a lot of people, and left his family. Shawn is a shady businessman who used to be in the drug business and is the only friend that Jimmy has left. Shawn’s son Danny (Boyd Holbrook) has made terrible life decisions thus far and angers the wrong people when he tries to enter the drug world. Jimmy’s innocent son Michael (Joel Kinnaman) simply trains boxers and drives limos. Also, there’s a henchman named Frank. Why he’s given a name, I couldn’t tell you.
All of that takes up about 30 minutes of the movie to figure out. During that time, I couldn’t help but feel like I was watching the sequel to a much more interesting movie. They kept referencing events that happened in the past, and the filmmakers only utilized flashbacks twice. This might just be me, but I want to see the movie in which Liam Neeson is the bad guy. That way, we can see how he ended up as this bum who has nothing left to live for except for his son who hates him.
Once you get through the convoluted intro and shift your expectations from “fun action movie” to “serious and emotional thriller,” there is a lot to like here. The movie really gets rolling after the first 30 minutes, and even though Neeson plays a troubled paternal figure with a particular set of skills, this feels different enough from “Taken.”
More often than not with this type of movie, the stylized action sequences are broken up with cheesy and forced “emotional” scenes between two characters that don’t even remotely resemble interactions that two human beings would ever have. However, “Run All Night” proves to be refreshing because the violence always leads to destructive consequences. This is shown in the scenes between Jimmy and Michael, which are remarkably believable. The film also really shines when powerhouses Neeson and Harris are on screen together.
I do have a minor frustration, but I’m going to talk about it anyway. J.K. Simmons is in this movie. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor of 2015 for his performance in “Whiplash.” I know what you’re thinking: “Oh, he’d be really good in a thriller, because he’s scary!” Well, too bad. He got cast as a hockey announcer on television, and is in the movie for somewhere around 10 seconds.
In the end, “Run All Night” could have benefitted from thinking through its title a bit more and shortening the film by about ten minutes. Expediting the backstory of all the characters – except for Frank, who should be left out entirely – would prevent the feeling that the viewer has missed something, and would get to the interesting parts of the story more quickly. Even though it is riddled with clichés, “Run All Night” is held up by the intense performances of Neeson, Harris and Kinnaman.
When the bullets start flying, you wish they wouldn’t, because they aren’t hurtling toward nameless faces, but toward friends and family, wreaking havoc wherever they touch. In this, “Run All Night” shines, and even though it is dark, you could do a lot worse on a trip to the theater.
**Pass the Popcorn if**: It’s father-son movie night (and you haven’t seen “Kingsman: The Secret Service”). You love every movie where Liam Neeson holds and gun and wears leather. It goes up on Netflix in a few months.
**Pass it Up if**: J.K. Simmons is your favorite actor. It’s a beautiful day and you’re in a great mood. You’re a feminist, because I’m pretty sure the only women in this entire movie were sick in bed, a concerned housewife or small children.
