by Shane Conto
What kinds of films come around like clockwork at this point in modern cinema? An endless sea of remakes and reboots? Long gestating sequels for beloved older films? Comic films galore? None of them are as frequent and consistent as a Liam Neeson led action/thriller! Neeson reinvented himself with Taken as an aging action star. It feels like every year now we get a new thriller from Neeson. This time we find him portraying a master thief who steals from bank vaults. But the unexpected happens…he falls in love. He would do anything to keep this new found love. Neeson’s character decides to turn himself in with all of the money he stole in order to put that life behind him. Jail time awaits him, but it will be worth it be with the woman who makes his life worth it.
But when a crooked FBI agents get involved, what bad things can possibly happen?
Well…apparently a lot of bad can possibly happen! And along the way, you just might encounter a decent amount of poor logic, cliched dialogue, and plot points. Mark Williams (only his second time behind the camera) is tasked with bringing this story to life. Overall, Williams is passable in his role as the director on this film. The look feels very “TV-like” and lacks a real cinematic feel (this was compounded by the drive-in atmosphere that I watched it in). The pacing is fine, except the finale feels a little rushed in how things play out. A small amount of anticlimactic feelings just might settle in. There are also some moments that feel forced due to cutting away from some scenes that would not make a lot of logical sense. What about the action? The action is serviceable and really does not add much to the overall story. In the end, the overall technical aspects are fine and will get you through the film (unless you really cannot stand horribly rendered CGI fire).
How about the script? That is a whole other story.
Williams, who co-wrote the script with Steve Allrich, is able to make some things work while at times leaning heavily into poor logic. There were multiple instances during the film where I sat and thought how so many details didn’t make sense. Many of those issues have to do with a recurring attempt to get someone from a hospital. Where are all of the security guards in this hospital? Who would let a stranger on the phone access confidential info about a patient? Can you get past this? Then you probably won’t be bothered by the lack of logic. But what about our central couple that drives the film? Neeson and Kate Walker have plenty of chemistry and charisma between the two of them. Neeson does indeed have a particular set of skills from a long career of being a Marine and later a back robber. Kate Walsh is a resourceful later-in-life student who is driven and supportive…until she turns into a damsel in distress and a doe eyed lover. Their relationship though is earnest and believable. The story is laid out in front of you from the beginning so there are no real twists in the plot. The antagonists are pretty standard crooked cop stereotypes (even though Jai Courtney does play that simplistic role well). Jeffrey Donovan’s Agent Meyers gets some layers and backstory along with an adorable little pooch. When all is said and done, the film does not really offer anything you haven’t seen before.
So, is Honest Thief worth heading out to the theater to go see?
Do you love some Liam Neeson in your life? Then this one might be for you. Do you like some depth and surprises in your thrillers? Maybe even some well-crafted and intense action sequences too? Then you may want to pass on this one. But what do we need more of in our lives? Definitely some more later-in-life action thrillers from famous and renowned actors.
Grade: C