Liam Neeson, who was born in Ireland, has won several honors and been nominated for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Tony Awards. According to Insider, in 2000, Neeson was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), a distinction bestowed by the British monarchy in recognition of valor, honoring achievements in the humanities and social sciences, work with nonprofits and welfare agencies, and civic engagement outside of the public sector. Excalibur, Husbands and Wives, Schindler’s List, Les Misérables, the Star Wars film series, Batman Begins, The Chronicles of Narnia trilogy, Gangs of New York, and Love Actually were just a handful of the films that Neeson appeared in during the 1980s, 1990s, and early-2000s.

After 2008, Neeson began to specialize in action roles, appearing in movies like the Taken trilogy, The A-Team, Unknown, The Grey, Wrath of the Titans, Non-Stop, A Walk Among the Tombstones, and The Commuter. On The Irish Times’ selection of Ireland’s 50 Greatest Film Actors in 2020, Neeson came in at number seven. His forthcoming projects include Marlowe, a harsh noir thriller set in the 1930s, and a potential Naked Gun remake through Paramount. Here’s what Liam Neeson’s action movies all have in common and why they are what make them so popular.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

7 A Similar Lead Character

     Open Road Films

Neeson typically plays a gentle action hero with a very specialized skill set, generally including violence, that his character hasn’t employed in a long time, but will require in the course of the story. His main character is typically a family guy whose wife, daughter, or other loved one is abducted. Depending on the circumstances of the film, these identical characters are frequently about to retire or alter their lifestyle when they are drawn back in by kidnappers, murderers, or terrorists. Then, Neeson’s character must navigate the tension between no longer wanting to do this and needing to save someone he cares about.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

6 A Detailed Rescue Mission

     Open Road FilmsBriarcliff Entertainment

In a Liam Neeson action film, the rescue operation is always in-depth. As was previously said, this typically entails saving a family member. If it’s not a loved one, he’s still rescuing someone — say, a flight’s passengers from probable death or an oil crew from animal predators. Every Neeson protagonist has a protective instinct, which drives him to keep fighting for the goal, the rescue, throughout the movies.

5 Epic Hand-to-Hand Combat Scenes

     20th Century Fox 

Neeson’s movies frequently include intense fights, yet they are basically interchangeable. The movie would probably still work out just fine if you took a fight from Taken 2 and swapped it out for one from Unknown. Although not always, most conflicts take place in close quarters and feature swift camera cuts for dramatic and cinematic effects. Neeson also has a distinct fighting technique that doesn’t really alter over his movies; it is Herculean yet clumsy, screams impatience, but ultimately succeeds. The adversary is frequently defeated by Neeson’s character with an object that was picked up at random.

4 A Threatening Phone Call

     EuropaCorp

The threatening phone call between Neeson’s protagonist and the exploiter, whomever they may be, is always featured in his action movies, even if it may not be as important to the plot as the storyline, character development, or even the action sequences. Neeson typically makes these calls while calmly yet ruthlessly menacing the foes on a cell phone. This sarcastic threat phone call appears in the first Taken movie, and every Neeson action movie thereafter has mimicked it.

3 Highlights Neeson Over Directors / Producers

     Universal Pictures

The producers or directors are never given much credit in Neeson’s action movies. While we’re sure he respects them, these folks are basically only there to highlight Neeson’s abilities; they aren’t quite as significant as the action hero himself. These producers and directors are only a good base on which Neeson will create. Because they aren’t about them and instead focus on his character doing what he does best, Neeson’s action films also frequently lack an all-star celebrity cast.

2 A Psychological Aspect

The majority of Liam Neeson movies include a psychological element that permeates the whole plot. Along with the main character, the viewer is attempting to solve the puzzle. Many of Neeson’s action movies turn his character’s mind inside out, occasionally pushing him into mental anguish. These movies have a suspense element that drives the protagonist to disregard logic and fight for what is vital to him. Neeson’s action movies excel because of this notion of being inside his thoughts.

1 The Successful Wrap-Up

     20th Century Studios

Neeson always triumphs. Whether he’s a former Marine residing on the Mexican border who attempts to protect a mother and son while they are being pursued by a cartel, a specialized hitman who declines to carry out a job for a risky crime syndicate, an expert bank robber who flees and tries to bring two dishonest Federal agents to justice, an undercover agent posing as an insurance salesman, or a research scientist who is compelled to locate the individual who stole his identity. No matter what character Neeson plays in his action movies, he always manages to tie up the plot, save everyone who needs saving, and defeat the baddie.

It seems like Neeson’s unique brand of cinematic mayhem is always a hit. We don’t anticipate the era of Liam Neeson’s action movies to end anytime soon since the actor appears to be a fan of the entire “guy hellbent on retribution” thing he’s got going on.