Here We Go Again

The Honest Thief 
Stars: Liam Neeson, Kate Walsh, Jai Courtney, Robert Patrick, Jeffrey Donovan, Anthony Ramos and Jasmine Cephas Jones
Director: Mark Williams
Composer: Mark Isham
Cinematography: Shelly Johnson
Zero Gravity/Open Road Films
Rating: PG-13
Running Length: 99 Minutes 

Liam Neeson is on a roll. He has taken type-casting into a new world.  There are the three “Taken” films, a few others, plus “Cold Pursuit,” and then a surprise, this summer’s pleasant and humorous “Made in Italy,” where Neeson starred with his son, Micheal Richardson. Back to action now, and “The Honest Thief” has it. A thief that is honest, you say?  Well, in a way. This is a film of betrayal by government men (sound familiar?), finding the right girlfriend (sound familiar?) and then going into action to take care of that betrayal (sound familiar?) The fans don’t mind, they like to see Liam Neeson in action and they are not disappointed here. Have popcorn and soda ready, here we go. 

In this story, Liam Neeson stars as Tom Carter, who has become known as the “in and out bandit” for his clean jobs. No one knows who he is. Somewhere, Tom meets the right woman, Annie (Kate Walsh) and decides to relent and fess up to the government about all of this stolen cash in the millions. Enter two government men, John (Jai Courtney) and Ramon (Anthony Ramos) who decide to take the money for themselves. When you see Jeffrey Donovan and Robert Patrick’s names on the cast list, you know they are government, too. Now, the fun begins. Tom is on the run and doesn’t have access to all the fancy things Neeson’s characters have used, though Tom is a former Marine.  This time, it is regular hardware store items (reference professional wrestling and what is under the ring) and the two sides of the law, try to out-do each other... Mark Isham’s music score adds to the action. 

There is chemistry between Liam Neeson and Kate Walsh (“The Umbrella Academy”) This is not a two-some with a 25-year age span between them; here, they are mature adults and comfortable with each other. When Liam sees Kate for the first time at a storage facility, there is a spark. The rest of the cast does what they are supposed to do, either be a good lawman or be a bad lawman. You can tell the difference. Jai Courtney (“Suicide Squad”) looks the look of a disgruntled man and his partner, Anthony Ramos, the same look. Setting the film is what amounts to a domestic setting (not in a foreign country), offers the audience a chance to think about their own neighborhood or where they store their unused equipment. What if? 

There is enough action in this Neeson film to please his fans and action fans who may not have seen a Liam Neeson film before.  Temper his action films with Neeson’s 2020 summer film, “Made in Italy,” which has family and remembrances. A future Liam Neeson film is “The Marksman” with Katheryn Winnick from “Game of Thrones.”  He ages well on the screen and with a vocal touch of his Irish heritage, provides each character with individuality. Though “The Honest Thief” is not a soaring action film, it does bring to the Covid-19 world a touch of entertainment. 

Copyright 2020 Marie Asner