Absolution (United States, 2024)

Liam Neeson has enjoyed two careers as an actor. For many years, he was regarded as a “highbrow” thespian – one who preferred serious, artistic productions. Then, beginning with 2009’s Taken, he opted for the higher paychecks that accompanied less accomplished action-thrillers and discovered an aptitude for such fare. Recently, however, those films have been afflicted by the same box office decay that has impacted the entire genre, with each new offering making less than its predecessors. The growing public disaffection has perhaps informed the development of Absolution, a movie that trades on Neeson’s current screen persona to tell a different sort of story. Think of it as his Unforgiven, with which it has more than a passing thematic connection (although I will caution that this isn’t close to same level of accomplishment as Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-winner).

This time around, Neeson is not playing an upright man and his cause is not righteous. He’s a criminal – a bruiser and an assassin – whose decision to seek absolution is based on a burst of conscience brought about by a terminal illness. Although still a strong man despite advancing age (the unnamed character is around 70 years old), Neeson’s “Thug” (as the credits refer to him) is afflicted with CTE – the debilitating progressive neurological disorder that destroys memory and personality. CTE is most commonly seen in athletes with a history of concussions – a description that fits the ex-boxer Thug – but since it can only be officially determined by autopsy, his diagnosis is presumptive based on his symptoms: loss of memory, disorientation, and bursts of uncontrollable violence.

Those expecting Neeson to walk tall like Sheriff Buford Pusser will be disappointed. This isn’t one of those characters. He’s a husk of the terrifying force he once was, referred to as being a dinosaur on more than one occasion. His memory has become so unreliable – he can’t even remember the name of his boss, Charlie Connor (Ron Perlman) – that he writes things on a notepad he carries with him. The same holes in his recollections occur regarding his estranged children – a still-living daughter Daisy (Frankie Shaw), who wants nothing to do with him, and a dead son. In a strained phone conversation with Daisy, Thug asks his daughter what her brother’s name was (and where he is buried). When circumstances force Thug to act, he proves himself to be capable of providing a lethal response but his victories are dour affairs, unaccompanied by any surge of audience-pleasing triumph. He has one last mystery to solve: who is trying to end his life before the CTE does its job?

The character – a conflicted, fading bully – is more interesting than many of the men Neeson has played in his post-Taken, paycheck-first mode. He brings weight and pathos to the role, crafting Thug into a tragic figure. Neeson is not, however, surrounded by actors of equal capability. Everyone else (with the exception of Ron Perlman, who is in only a handful of scenes) is a cut below: Frankie Shaw, Daniel Diemer (as Connor’s son), and Yolanda Ross (as a potential romantic interest). The screenplay is uneven – not only does the movie run too long by at least 15 minutes but the ending is artificially pat.

Absolution will likely be a nonperformer at the box office; it has not been promoted and interest seems tepid at best. There’s also no clear target audience – it’s possibly too generic for those with an affinity for movies about larger-than-life figures diminished by infirmity and too downbeat for those who have enjoyed many of Neeson’s recent (and lesser) outings. This most definitely is not Taken. Although I found the change of pace to be refreshing for a Neeson outing, the movie is too flawed for a full recommendation. The pacing is problematic and aspects of the ending don’t work. As a streaming option, however (which is probably where it is speedily headed), it’s a passable way to spend a couple of hours.

Absolution (United States, 2024)