Do you remember the career Nicolas Cage enjoyed in the ’90s? At that time, he filmed “The Rock,” “Face/Off,” “Conair” and “City Of Angels.” He was doing pretty well, though perhaps not so much anymore.
Well, another actor, who has been in Hollywood for quite some time, is now enjoying similar success. Sorry Nic, you’ve been replaced. Want to hear by whom? I’ll fill you in.
In March 2009, actor Liam Neeson suffered the tragic loss of his wife, Natasha Richardson. In recent interviews, Neeson has spoken of throwing himself into his work after her death. He called it “running away some.” Though no one would ever wish the actor’s present situation upon him, filmgoers are definitely benefiting from more Neeson films hitting the big screen.
Neeson seemed to re-emerge as an action star beginning with the riotous ride, “Taken.” He followed up with films like “After.Life” (one of the best DVDs of 2010, by the way), “The A-Team,” and “The Next Three Days.” So move over Nicolas Cage because Neeson’s latest action thriller is called “Unknown.”
In “Unknown,” Neeson’s character is on a business trip to Germany with his beautiful wife. Following a sudden car accident, however, he winds up in a comma for four days sans identification and suffering some memory loss. When he tracks his wife down, she says she doesn’t know him and the man on her arm claims the same identity as Neeson. Uncovering the truth gets tricky when hit men pursue Neeson relentlessly.
“Unknown” received mixed reviews last weekend with many critics calling the events of the picture implausible. The situation registered as pretty believable to me, however, (for an action flick) and Neeson, as always, was a joy.
I look forward to another excuse to watch him beat up some more bad guys very soon.
I’m a fan.