Movie Breakdown: The Marksman

Pre-Screening Stance:

Liam Neeson and B-level action films, name a more iconic duo. For real though, I’m not expecting much from The Marksman, but I won’t be surprised if it surprises and ends up being another Taken-like hit.

Post-Screening Ramble:

Let’s just go ahead and get this particular pun out of the way – The Marksman misses the target. And frankly, I’m not even sure what the film was aiming for at all, unless super low-rent Taylor Sheridan (Sicario, Wind River) is a thing.

Anyways, Liam Neeson plays Jim, a former marine who spends his days missing his dead wife, tending to his ranch on the Arizona-Mexican border, and snitching on illegal immigrants (he calls them IAs) that he finds on his land. He likes this existence, or maybe he doesn’t? I never really could tell, but either way, he starts making moves to save his land when he’s told that the bank is about to sell it off. This leads to him bumping into a boy (Jacob Perez) and his mother (Teresa Ruiz) who are packing a lot of cash (convenient!) and are on the run from some bad boys. Stuff happens, and then Jim and the kid set out on what is one of the most boring road trips of all time. Yes, they’re being chased by members of some cartel, but there’s such a lack of action that up until the film’s climax, I couldn’t figure out why it was called The Marksman. Furthermore, Neeson and Perez have zero chemistry and do not bond whatsoever as they attempt to casually drive away from danger.

There’s a reason this movie is coming out in the dumping grounds of January – it’s bad and it’s boring, and you shouldn’t bother with it.

One Last Thought:

The moment a dog shows up in this movie, you know exactly what’s going to happen to it. With that being said, the elimination of this furry friend is so lazy and anti-climatic that it actually upset me more than if the animal had been given a heroic, emotional sendoff. Talk about accidentally getting something right.