Neeson dazzles in otherwise blah ‘Absolution’
It’s disheartening watching Liam Neeson repeatedly wasting time fleshing out variations of the vengeful loner in a succession of action tales he could perform in his sleep. But fans craving his “Absolution” can take heart. Well, sorta. There’s still much that’s “Taken” in his portrayal of Jeff, a Boston mob flunky itching to bust a cap in felonious miscreants before forgetting why they need offing. I say “forget” because the doctors are telling the former boxer that he’s nursing an advanced case of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, aka CTE.
It’s that element of mortality, a foe that “no special set of skills” is going to defeat, that elevates “Absolution” to a higher plane for Neeson. Mostly because this time he actually must act, not just act out as a vigilante. It’s refreshing to witness, even though the material, written by Tony Gayton (“The Salton Sea”) and directed by Hans Petter Moland (Neeson’s “Cold Pursuit”), is cliched to the max.
For once, Neeson proudly wears every one of his 72 years. Gaunt, pale and with a slight hobble in his gait, his Jeff looks like he is at death’s door. But not enough that he can’t attract a damsel he saves from distress in Yolonda Ross’ Joan. She thinks the enigmatic lug is a catch, not to mention a sensation in the sack. Their cockeyed romance is but one of several strands woven into a script that tries to accomplish way too much in 105 minutes.
There are also Jeff’s attempts to reconnect with his two adult children and the precocious grandson (Terrence Pulliam) he never knew he had; a ring of human traffickers in need of a whooping; and an unsympathetic boss in Mr. Connor (Ron Perlman), for whom Jeff has loyally served for 30 years as a bagman, fixer and doer of dirty deeds.
You get exhausted just trying to keep up, but Neeson seldom fails to deepen your investment in Jeff’s frantic search for atonement. It’s a slow-burn character study that elicits empathy even though Jeff is at heart a terrible human being. Just ask his daughter, Daisy (Frankie Shaw), who can’t stand the sight of a father who’s been absent for most of her life. As the plot gods dictate, Jeff never tells her about the CTE. Heck, he doesn’t share much of anything with anyone. “The curse of the asshole father,” as Daisy surmises.
While Neeson convincingly conveys that silent-thug exterior, he also enables us to discover a man who is just the latest victim of a familial cycle of violence and false machismo. It’s a reckoning that plays out entirely in Neeson’s expressions and posture, rendering Jeff the quintessential Boston tough guy. Philip Øgaard’s cinematography reflects it in capturing the grittier sides of the city, although it’s a stretch to believe a broke-ass loser like Jeff could afford to reside in Winthrop in the tall shadow of the coastal village’s landmark tri-colored water tower. Or, drive a perfectly preserved 1970 Chevelle SS-396 that must be worth at least one or two years of Jeff’s meager salary.
It’s that unnecessary window dressing that distracts from the authenticity of a man certain his only chance of “doing something right is doing something bad.” Why not have Jeff living in Quincy or Salem in a rundown dive and driving a bucket of bolts that is as rusted through as Jeff’s increasingly deteriorating brain? That’s the setting Neeson’s performance requires. And it’s disappointing that Moland opted to Hollywoodize it.
The film also lacks the mix of menace and humor that fueled Moland’s “In Order of Disappearance,” a Scandinavian gem he remade in English as “Cold Pursuit,” with Neeson as the riled snowplow driver determined to murder everyone responsible for his son’s drug overdose.
It’s a classic battle between subtlety and exhibition. And it’s a fight Moland loses, despite Neeson’s valiant attempts to ride to the rescue. His movie easily slips the mind, but as a man in the throes of dementia, Neeson is unforgettable.
Movie review
Absolution
Rated: R for some sexual content, nudity, language throughout, drug use, violence
Cast: Liam Neeson, Ron Perlman, Yolonda Ross, Frankie Shaw, Daniel Diemer and Terrence Pulliam
Director: Hans Petter Moland
Writer: Tony Gayton
Runtime: 112 minutes
Where: In theaters Nov. 1
Grade: B-
