Writer: Brad Ingelsby (Screenplay)
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ed Harris, Joel Kinnaman, Boyd Holbrook, Bruce McGill, Genesis Rodriguez, Vincent D’Onofrio, Lois Smith, Common
Plot: Mobster and hit man Jimmy Conlon has one night to figure out where his loyalties lie: with his estranged son, Mike, whose life is in danger, or his longtime best friend, mob boss Shawn Maguire, who wants Mike to pay for the death of his own son.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Non-Stop Action
Story: Run All Night starts Jimmy Conlon (Neeson) letting us know he was a bad man, he did bad things, but now he is just a drunk trying to keep everything together having to turn to his old bosses son Danny (Holbrook) for money. Mike Conlon (Kinnaman) is a boxer who is trying to teach a young student how to use his skills as well as trying to balance his own family life with his wife Gabriela (Rodriguez) and his kids. Shawn Maguire (Harris) runs the town but his son Danny wants to build his own legacy with a deal that goes bad. We see that Shawn and Jimmy have a relationship filled with respect from the years working together.
Jimmy is known for his body count that he has built up working for Shawn where Detective Harding (D’Onofrio) has spent his career trying to catch him. Mike works as a limo driver but his latest client just so happens to be involved with dealing with Danny’s deal. When Mike witnesses the Danny murder his client he ends up having to run for his life putting Jimmy & Shawn’s relationship when Jimmy kills Danny when he tries to kill Mike, what follows is Shawn calling in all his favours to get revenge and Jimmy and Mike having to run all night to survive
Run All Night is easily one of the best action films this year, it keep the story very simple and does follow the same story ideas Road to Predation. The idea that the hit-man has to go up against his boss to look after his own son who witnesses a murder, getting a lone other hit-man to go after them, the comparisons continue too. I think the film taking time to build the characters in the first 20-30 minutes helps because it lets all the action do the talking in the final 3 thirds of the film. When you look at certain other films that Neeson has been making in the action genre this works out to be one of his best. (8/10)
Actor Review
Liam Neeson: Jimmy Conlon is the washed up former hit-man for the mob, he is distant from his son Mike but still has the respect of his former employer Shawn. When he hears about his son being involved with his former bosses son he ends up killing the young man Danny defending his own son leading to all strings being severed and him having to defend his son for one night against everything Shawn has to throw at him. Liam gives us one f his best action performances too date. (8/10)
Ed Harris: Shawn Maguire is the mod boss who runs the city, he is dealing with his son Danny’s problems when his last remaining friend becomes his enemy after killing Danny. Ed makes for a good villain every time but this time I do feel he gives us a generic mob boss character. (7/10)
Joel Kinnaman: Mike Conlon is the son of Jimmy who has pushed him out his life to start his own clean life with his own family where he makes a clean living away from the criminal world. He life gets turned upside down when he witnesses Danny kill one of his clients leading to him having to run all night with his estranged father being the only one that can keep him alive. Joel continues to try and make a name for himself and he does a good job in this role. (7/10)
Boyd Holbrook: Danny Maguire is the son of mob boss Shawn, he keeps trying to prove himself to his father which leads to him getting involved with the wrong people. He ends up getting killed leading to the catalyst of all the events. Boyd does a good job in this role playing the hot headed young man well. (7/10)
Vincent D’Onofrio: Detective Harding is the one man who has been chasing down Jimmy his whole life but when the events of this night happen he becomes the only person Jimmy can trust. Vincent does a good job in the support role that seems to be one of the only other good characters in the film. (7/10)
Support Cast: Run All Night has a supporting cast that includes the henchman that Jimmy leaves laying as well as Common as the hit-man.
Director Review: Jaume Collet-Serra – Jaume does a good job giving us a great mix of action and early character development. (8/10)
Action: Run All Night has car chases, foot races (Yes Neeson Does Run), hand to hand fights and gun battles giving us everything you need in an action film. (9/10)
Crime: Run All Night puts us in the criminal underworld with one innocent family stuck in the middle. (8/10)
Thriller: Run All Night keeps you on the edge of your seat as soon as the action starts. (8/10)
Settings: Run All Night keeps all the action in locations that don’t have stand out locations making it all about the action rather than settings. (5/10)
Suggestion: Run All Night is one for all the action fans to action fans to sit and enjoy. (Action Fans Enjoy)
Best Part: Jimmy and Shawn sit down to talk, very tense scene.
Worst Part: Too similar to Road to Predation.
Action Scene Of The Film: Car Chase.
Believability: No (0/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Similar Too: Road to Predation
Oscar Chances: No
Budget: $50 Million
Runtime: 1 Hour 54 Minutes
Tagline: One night to settle the score.
Overall: Easily one of the best action films of the year
Rating Scorecard