Liam Neeson: Hollywood’s New Badass

by TheUggly · June 18, 2014

When did Liam Neeson become cool?

Like really? There was a time when if someone mentioned Liam Neeson the only thing I could possibly think of was “Schindler’s List”. Now, in 2014 when the Irish thespian is mentioned, I almost think: “British Chuck Norris” in a black leather jacket.

While 90s and 00s babies action movie experiences were defined from a wide array of leading action men (Arnold, Stallone, Snipes, Segal, Diesel, with Statham being probably most recent) – it would seem the newest generation of movie goers have decided to champion 61 year old senior citizen Neeson, as the go to guy for when you want to see a generic bad guy punched in the face.

The funny thing about Neeson’s new kick for action movies is that none of them, sans 2008’s sleeper hit “Taken”, are particularly good. Yet, this doesn’t seem to stop movies like “The Grey”, “Taken 2″, “Unknown” or “Non-Stop” from racking up the mils at the box office. It’s like Neeson is the new Jason Statham but for some reason with more star power. Movies like the Transporter franchise and The Bank Job have become cult classics in their own right, but one can argue that Statham isn’t quite as A-List as his fans may believe. Plus he makes his decent share of bad movies.

Neeson on the other hand – since “Taken’s” success, has hit the ground running, scooping up every single action movie about a ” past his prime CIA/US Marshall/Federal Agent” that “die-hard’s” his way into a situation he inevitably has to kick ass to get out of. Take a trip down memory lane from “Taken” all the way down to “Taken on a Plane” aka “Non-Stop” and witness an actor who found such a sweet niche that you shouldn’t be surprised that he’s going to milk it until it’s dry. With the exception of “The Grey” which still is arguably successful because he was throwing down with wolves, Neeson has entered his second generation of the craft- no longer delegated to the “Period Piece Guy”, he can now add “Bad Ass Action Hero”.

And if you think he was planning to cool off after “Non-Stop”? Wrong Again! As Neeson plans to take us on a tour as he takes “A Walk Among The Tombstones” due to be released in September. Nice….

Taken: