BY ALY REIFF / VN STAFF WRITER
Liam Neeson, an actor from Northern Ireland, plays the lead role in “The Marksman,” a movie released in January and still playing in theaters.
The movie is about a former Marine who lives alone as a rancher along the Arizona-Mexico border after his wife dies from cancer.
While heading home in the afternoon, after patrolling his farm, he runs into a mother and her son crossing the border to get away from members of a cartel who are on their tail and out for blood.
Getting stuck in the crossfire, the boy's mom is hit by a bullet. Shortly after Neeson’s character drives them to safety, she passes away, leaving her son in the hands of a man whom she barely knew.
The movie offers twists and turns that take the movie in many directions to keep the audience's attention with the journey of leading the young boy to safety.
Some reviewers left the theaters pleased and thought the film offered a modern take on westerns with a feel similar to the Clint Eastwood films based on characters and relationships between them.
According to Rotten Tomatoes, a movie criticism website, “The Marksman” benefited from having Liam Neeson in the lead, but this formulaic action thriller should have aimed higher. The story sometimes drags, and the ending isn’t for everyone.
The movie is rated PG-13 and contains violence, some bloody image scenes and brief strong language at times.
It is a pretty good movie, a blend of the action, mystery and thriller genres.
