ESP’s resident film critic Gavin Miller heads back to the cinema and grabs his popcorn to check out the latest big screen release…
While this probably sits squarely in the ‘middle of the road’ when it comes to Liam Neeson’s catalogue of ass-kicking films – the action maestro rarely fails to deliver a watchable movie.
Not as good as the original Taken or Cold Pursuit, but better than the likes of Run All Night and A Walk Among the Tombstones, the boringly titled Honest Thief provides another bona fide performance from Neeson – despite having a bit of a formulaic straight-to-streaming feel to it.
But with a notable supporting cast – that includes Suicide Squad’s Jai Courtney, Terminator 2: Judgement Day’s Robert Patrick and Sicario’s Jeffrey Donovan – this is arguably the most high-profile release at the cinema in the past few months.
And with new movies thin on the ground this provides a welcome distraction as Neeson’s ex-marine Tom Dolan looks to lead an honest existence after finding love with his new girlfriend Annie (Grey’s Anatomy’s Kate Walsh) – and put his life as a notorious bank robber behind him.
Accepting that he’ll serve some jail time, Dolan offers to give all the money back he stole (some $9 million) by turning himself in, in exchange for a more lenient sentence and a crack at redemption.
But things go awry when two crooked FBI agents – the ruthless Nivens (Courtney) and the more-hesitant Hall (Anthony Ramos) – double cross him when their superiors, Donovan’s Meyers and Patrick’s Baker, pass the case over to the rookie agents when they fail to believe Dolan’s story over the phone.
This leads to a game of cat and mouse when a police officer is gunned down in the initial altercation and Dolan battles to clear his name and keep his girlfriend safe – with the usual car chases and fight sequences thrown in.
And while the movie won’t break any new ground, it’s amiably watchable from start to finish – even if it could have quite easily appeared directly on Amazon or Netflix.
But with high-octane movies in short supply this will give you an honest action fix – if very little more.
ESP Rating: 3/5
Gavin Miller
Cast: Liam Neeson, Jai Courtney, Jeffrey Donovan, Kate Walsh, Anthony Ramos & Robert Patrick
Running Time: 1 Hr 39 Mins
Director: Mark Williams
Go to www.showcasecinemas.co.uk for all the latest film information & showtimes at Peterborough’s Showcase Cinema De Lux
Comments