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72-year-old Irish actorLiam Neesonis known worldwide for his action roles, notably theTakensaga, where he has to relentlessly save a loved one taken from him by criminals. However, his extensive filmography also includes some dramas, such as his breakout role inSchindler’s List, romantic comedies includingLove Actuallyas a recent widower, and even musicals likeLes Misérableswhere he plays soft-at-heart convict Jean Valjean.
What Neeson is less known for, though, is Westerns. Though the multi-faceted actor has dipped his toes in many genres, he’s not necessarily known for starring in Westerns, though he has been in a few. Exceptions can be counted on one hand:Seraphim Falls(2006),A Million Ways to Die in the West(2014),The Ballad of Buster Scruggs(2018),The Marksman(2021),In the Land of Saints and Sinners(2023).The Marskmanis arguably the best on this list (where he occupies the leading role) but potentially the most divisive.
The Marksman
A rancher on the Arizona border becomes the unlikely defender of a young Mexican boy desperately fleeing the cartel assassins who’ve pursued him into the U.S. Starring Liam Neeson.
The Marksman Is a High-Stakes Modern Western
InThe Marksman, Liam Neeson plays Jim Hanson, a retired Marine who now works at a ranch and reports illegal crossings of the Mexican border to his step-daughter, Sarah (Katheryn Winnick). However, he comes across a Mexican mother, Rosa (Teresa Ruiz), and her child (Jacob Perez), who are being chased by a cartel. Unfortunately, Rosa dies before his eyes in a shootout, andJim is left with her child, Miguel. In her dying breaths, Rosa begs Jim to bring Miguel to her family in Chicago and gives him all of her money.
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Some twists and turns arise, but Jim eventually manages to take Miguel in. The second half of the story revolves around them going to Chicago. During theirdangerous road trip, a bond develops between the man and the child. Miguel finds respite in the scruffy older man he is stuck with, and Jim is content with teaching the boy some things, including how to fire a gun. Meanwhile, they are being relentlessly chased by a psychopathic cartel boss, Mauricio (Juan Pablo Raba). He will stop at nothing to kidnap the child and take his revenge.
The Marksman Is Beloved by Audiences
The Marksmanis a very effective Western. Jim understands that he has a mission to accomplish through the wish of a dying mother, and he will do anything, including getting in the face of danger, to make it happen — no matter how reluctant he is at times, hence following the values of the Western protagonist. Neeson’s sage and constantly slightly sad or worried facial expressions work perfectly for the character he plays, and he shows a very affectionate chemistry on screen with Perez.
Stylistically, the cinematography often respects the Golden ratio and plays with what is shown versus what is hidden from the screen, thus managing suspense smartly. Through the road trip, the viewer is brought from the desert of the Mexican border to forests and mountains and finally to cities, with great care spent on choosing locations. These are the rules thatmake a great Western, and Robert Lorenz is one of those modern directors who prove once again that the Western is not a dead genre.
The Marksman Was Despised by Critics
The Marksmancertainly is not the movie of the decade, but critics piled up on it. The film has a 38% Tomatometer (verified critics) against an 83% Popcornmeter (general audience comments) on the review aggregatorplatform Rotten Tomatoes.According to critics, the only positive aspect of the film is that it is an alright Liam Neeson movie to watchwhen one is in the mood to watch the actor and has exhausted the wholeTakensaga, as the actor’s performance never really fails.
However, they found the plot basic and predictableand the ending unsatisfying. There can apparently be nothing new about ex-Marines, the Mexican border, and cartels. Jim and Miguel encounter the expected hurdles on their way to Chicago, and the bad guy cartel boss is terribly one-dimensional: cruel and psychotic for no real reason.The Marskmanwas compared to an undercooked copy of 2018’sThe Mule, which was similarly criticized as a bad film for Clint Eastwood but appreciated by audiences.
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The Marksmanis the perfect example of a modern movie reutilizing the codes of a classic genre to make it into an exciting, complex story — though professional critics found it long and predictable. But at the end of the day,whether a movie is good or not is up to the individual viewer. Thankfully,The Marksmanjust arrived onthe streaming platform Tubi, which is entirely free to watch with ads. So, why not watch it and make your own opinion?The Marksmanis currently streaming onTubi.
