WhileLiam Neesonis known for action movies, his latest release has been earning divisive reviews from critics. The actor has been active since 1976, but his rise to prominence came after he wascast in Steven Spielberg’sSchindler’s List(1993). He was given the keys to his own franchise withTakenin 2008 and quickly became an action star. Throughout his distinguished career, the actor has earned an Academy Award nomination, three Golden Globe nominations, and two Tony Awards nominations. He was even named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his contributions to acting.
Recent years have seen Neeson stumble, however. Though he has spent nearly two decades focusing on action movies, he is now 76 years old and is quickly aging out of the genre.Neeson plans to stop starring in action roles by the end of 2025and will likely take the opportunity to star in more dramatic roles. Considering that his latest action movie is struggling to earn approval from critics, the decision could reinvigorate his career after other recent critical mishaps.
Absolution Is Struggling On Rotten Tomatoes
Reviews Have Been Extremely Divisive
ThoughAbsolution’s tagline is “All that is left is redemption,” it failed to provide much redemption for Neeson’s career. The movie was released on November 1 anddebuted with a divisiveRotten TomatoesTomatometer score of just 44%.It does not currently have enough audience reviews to generate a Popcornmeter score, meaning that its entire rating depends directly on critics. Of the 27 reviews, only 12 are Fresh, while 15 offered a Rotten designation.
Why Taken 4 With Liam Neeson Never Happened
Liam Neeson starred in three Taken movies as Bryan Mills, and with the actor’s popularity, why didn’t Taken 4 happen?
Thepoor performance is likely tied to the movie’s premise. Neeson plays a gangster, who is attempting to step away from life as a criminal, but he is instead regularly drawn back into its grip. The movie is nearly two hours long and fails to provide the dramatic tension and thrilling pacing that made Neeson’s previous movies so compelling. It is a far cry from theexcitement of theTakenfranchise, instead offering a slower and more methodical exploration of a fairly typical gangster world.
Our Take On Absolution’s Rotten Tomatoes Struggles
Liam Neeson Needs To Recover Quickly
Since 2019’sOrdinary Love, Neeson has struggled to earn extraordinary love from critics. Though he has maintained mostly high scores from audiences,he has only enjoyed one positive Tomatometer score since the pandemicbegan in 2020. That is despite having starred in 10 movies in that period. Neeson, who was once an acclaimed actor in Hollywood, has certainly stumbled in the past few years in the eyes of many critics. Check out the chart below, which showcases Neeson’s recent Rotten Tomatoes scores:
44%
In the Land of Saints and Sinners (2023)
83%
74%
30%
66%
26%
37%
29%
80%
11%
82%
43%
38%
41%
87%
Made in Italy (2020)
42%
93%
69%
The chart does not includeBonnie(2022) orIreland(2022), as neither had enough attention to receive Rotten Tomatoes scores.In the Land of Saints and Sinners(2023) was a much-needed respite for Neeson, but the movie had limited reach and was quickly followed by another divisive release. If he hopes to retain the attention of audiences, he needs to improve his movie selection.Action movies definedLiam Neeson’s career, but his decision to retire could allow him an opportunity to reinvigorate a stumbling career.
Absolution
Cast
An aging gangster, played by Liam Neeson, is determined to reconnect with his estranged children and atone for the mistakes of his violent past. However, the criminal underworld isn’t ready to let him walk away, leading to a high-stakes confrontation where old loyalties are tested.
