The Best of Bad Ass Liam Neeson 2008 - 2018

[One Armed Boxer]

It's hard to believe it's now been a full decade since Liam Neeson began enjoying his latter day career resurgence as a no-nonsense tough guy.

I recently got through watching his latest, 'The Commuter', which marks his 4th collaboration with director Jaume Collet-Serra, and gave it the full review treatment here -

http://cityonfire.com/the-commuter-2018-review-liam-neeson/

But it got me thinking, in all of Neeson's kick ass and take names outings since 2008's 'Taken', have any been able to top Bryan Mills first appearance, or does it still remain top of the pile?

To answer such a question, what better way to do it than with a Kung Fu Fandom poll?  So cast your vote, and let us know why you chose the title that you did. 

For me 'Taken' remains the best.  As a straight forward revenge flick, it's hard to beat.  You don't get much more of a simpler formula than - human traffickers kidnap the wrong guys daughter.  Father proceeds to kill anyone who has even the slightest connection to the kidnapping.  It's gloriously straight forward, and has become an unintended classic of the genre.

[DragonClaws]

Yet to see The Commuter or The Grey, but I have the rest on DVD/BR. Taken didnt do too well in U.K cinemas, but it gained a following on DVD really quick.

[laagi]

From the ones I've seen Taken is clearly the winner here. However, do yourself a favor and skip the sequels. If you can't resist just watch Part 2.

I would also consider Run all Night and The Grey one of his better movies. I was rather disappointed with A Walk among the Tombstones to be honest. Haven't seen A-Team, Unkown and Non-stop...

[DragonClaws]

1 hour ago, laagi said:

I was rather disappointed with A Walk among the Tombstones to be honest.

Went to see this at the cinema and I thought it was one of his best, much darker and more serious than the Taken movies.

[thekfc]

I would go with "A Walk Among The Tombstones".

[SamSeed]

Taken has to be his best. Conversely the sequels are his worst. Actually, not just his worst, I'd put in a very strong argument for them being some of the worst pieces of film making ever committed to celluloid. In film school, the fight sequences should be on the curriculum as to how to absolutely not shoot action. It should then immediately be followed with the mall fight from Police Story to show how it should be done. Incidentally, not on this list, but The Big Man from around 1990 I think, is a great film. More of a drama I grant you, but it revolves around a huge, drag out fistfight.

[DragonClaws]

19 minutes ago, SamSeed said:

not on this list, but The Big Man from around 1990 I think, is a great film. More of a drama I grant you, but it revolves around a huge, drag out fistfight.

One of my all time favourite Liam Neeson movies, with Scottish born comedian Billy Connelly among the cast. Rob Roy being equally as good, with Tim Roth almost stealing the movie from Neeson.

[laagi]

Speaking of which... any love for Darkman? He did have a "particular set of skills" as well

[One Armed Boxer]

1 hour ago, laagi said:

Speaking of which... any love for Darkman? He did have a "particular set of skills" as well

Oh...plenty of love for 'Darkman'!  But perhaps Neeson's ultimate bad ass role was when he went up against the original no-nonsense tough guy, Dirty Harry Callahan, in 1988's 'The Dead Pool'.  (With Jim Carrey thrown in for good measure)

 

[DragonClaws]

6 minutes ago, One Armed Boxer said:

But perhaps Neeson's ultimate bad ass role was when he went up against the original no-nonsense tough guy, Dirty Harry Callahan, in 1988's 'The Dead Pool'.  (With Jim Carrey thrown in for good measure)

There's even a cameo, from 80's band Guns & Roses, who attend Jim Carrey's characters funeral. Also features a brief but pretty impressive display of Martial Arts, by Evan C.Kim.

 

1 hour ago, laagi said:

Speaking of which... any love for Darkman? He did have a "particular set of skills" as well

The girlfriend fell asleep during this one, and she loves Liam Neeson. It's a bonkers movie, and whenever I'm reminded of it, I picture Darkman all bandaged up, swinging from the rafters shouting "Julieeeeeeeeeeeeee", like a scene from some strange contemporary re-telling of The Hunchback Of Notre Dame story.