Review:
"Blacklight"
Release Date: Feb. 11, 2022
Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 105 minutes If Liam Neeson’s standard-issue conspiracy thriller Blacklight starred any other aging action hero, it likely would head straight to VOD or a major streamer instead of a theater near you. But Neeson is pandemic proof. His 2020 The Honest Thief and 2021 The Marksman both did strong pre-vaccine business at a time when many theater chains were closed. (One can also assume Neeson’s enduring popularity also prompted Netflix to purchase The Ice Road, which hit the streamer’s No. 1 spot in June 2021.) So Neeson’s earned the right for his films to continue to receive a strictly theatrical premiere. The problem is, Blacklight—like The Honest Thief and The Marksman—is as generic as Neeson’s gruff accent and weather-beaten appearance. Sure, Neeson gets emotionally fired up at times in this thriller that places the family of his off-the-books FBI operative in jeopardy. Otherwise Neeson does what Neeson always does with efficiency as Travis Block, the man the FBI calls to extract an agent who has blown their cover or are in too deep for their own good. Block’s asked to bring in Taylor John Smith’s Dusty Crane, who wants to go public about the assassination of a populist senator with presidential aspirations. Through Crane, Block crosses paths with Emmy Raver-Lampman’s online journalist Mira Jones. As expected, Block and Jones form an uneasy alliance to uncover the truth behind the high-profile hit. Raver-Lampman brings to Blacklight an energy fueled by Jones’ ambition and outrage. Unfortunately, though, we have seen this version of the indignant and reliably dangerous Neeson too many times to find much of interest in either his otherwise elementary performance or a plot that begins and ends in predictable fashion. Which remains somewhat odd because Blacklight—and, for that matter, The Honest Thief—hails from Mark Williams, the creator of Netflix’s Ozark. There is nothing in Blacklight that approaches Ozark levels of unease and duplicity. Instead, Williams just relies on Neeson to chase his quarry on foot or by car, throw a hard punch, engage in gunplay with the bad guys, or suffer through the inevitable “moral code moment” resulting from Block’s realization that he may not be on the right side of history. William does offer a somewhat engaging “car vs. garbage trunk” chase through the streets of whatever U.S. city Melbourne doubles for in Blacklight. But the chase only hammers home the belief that Blacklight rarely tries harder than it needs to or can on a mid-level budget. Blacklight also leaves you wondering how long Neeson can continue to capitalize on the success of 2009’s Taken. Unless he decides to break out of his newfound comfort zone, Neeson will soon become as irrelevant as Bruce Willis. Robert Sims Aired: Feb. 10, 2022 Web sites: https://www.blacklightmov.com/ https://www.facebook.com/BlacklightMov/ |
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