Run All Night Review

2015 in film

Mar 10

Written By Rendy Jones

Preview

R: for Strong Violence, Language Including Sexual References, and Some Drug Use

Warner Bros. Pictures, Ratpac Entertainment

1 hr and 54 Minutes

Cast: Liam Neeson, Joel Kinnaman, Ed Harris, Common, Genesis Rodriguez, with Boyd Holbrook, and Vincent D'Onofrio

Editor’s Note: This review was originally published during my adolescence. Outdated language might be seen in these old posts. Since then, my thoughts and values have grown. This review is being presented as they were originally written, grammatical errors and typos and all. Because to do otherwise would be that same as claiming these flaws has never existed.

BACKSTORY: I only went to a screening of Run All Night on Sunday March 7th 2015 and I wasted a lot of money on popcorn. It was worth it though.

STORYLINE: Mobster and hit man Jimmy Conlon has one night to figure out where his loyalties lie: with his estranged son, Mike, whose life is in danger, or his longtime best friend, mob boss Shawn Maguire, who wants Mike to pay for the death of his own son.

REVIEW: Aren't we all tired of seeing Liam Neeson with a gun, because I know I am. In Taken 3 we all just had it with Neeson shooting people again and again. Thankfully the action in this film doesn't go full retard level that the Taken movies do. In Run All Night we actually get character from Neeson's Jimmy whose situation with his son is believable. The story is generic amongst every other mobster film and the plot points are predictable. There are a lot of intense moments with legit tension where you're sweating thinking "holy shit are they going to get out of this alive?" The film uses it's advantage with its R rating because this film is dark. It is gory and graphically violent yet it's glorious. The New York setting plays well into the story and gives off some great cinematography which is helmed by Neeson loving director Jaume Collet-Serra. With his direction you get really solid chemistry between Neeson and Kinneman. Their bond onscreen as father and son is strong and gives the film some real emotion (more than Willis and Jai Courtney in the last Die Hard). The huge problem with this film is that it is unnecessarily long and very slow paced in parts. The film is nearly 2 hrs and long when it doesn't need to be. It does get boring, but it quickly turns back into action fun.

LAST STATEMENT: It may be forgettable let alone long, but the stylish direction and good chemistry makes Run All Night a violent good time.