5 films Liam Neeson underestimated that each fan needs to watch

“Schindler’s List”, “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Threatening”, “Taked” and “Batman Begins” are really only the tip of the iceberg in the fruit of fruitful and long theater that Liam Neeson has so far. Easily one of the best of its generation, the prowess and the versatility of the actor born in Northern Ireland are simply amazing. Few things show that better than the fact that in 73 years old, Neeson now plays in “The Naked Gun” of 2025 as Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr., the son of the detective Buffonish Immortel de Leslie Nielsen in the comedy spoof franchise. Since the beginning of his career in the late 1970s, Neeson described controversial and unforgettable historical figures, superheroes, mentors, disturbing fathers and even skipped death machines among a wide range of other characters in more than 100 characteristics.

As improbable as it may seem, Neeson has become a star of action at the age of 56 with “Taked” of 2008 (gracity of director Pierre Morel and co-series Luc Besson), and his low-up low-budget sense in a single man from films to all films still come today without a view. Whatever the pretty bad quality of many of these films, one thing is certain: Neeson has fun. Frankly, it can afford it after all the classics that it has given us over the decades. As such, we are here to cook five of his films in hand which have not attracted enough attention or which are otherwise neglected and underestimated in a sustainable career filled with iced stone bangers.

Despite his multifaceted roles in various genres, Neeson mainly avoided the westerns, which makes the “Falls” Seraphim “by David von Ancken even a gem. It is the only horses of the actor’s filmography (without counting the Western parody of Seth Macfarlane” A Million Ways to Die in the West “), and it is a film Links (probably largely because it was a box office flop).

More than one character study than a traditional Oater, “Seraphim Falls” is a pursuit of cats and mice between two broken men linked by their past in the American civil war. The bare intrigue is a two -hour prosecution between Colonel Carver (Neeson) and Gideon (Pierce Brosnan), while the first viciously tries to hunt and capture the latter with a small group of hired hands, traveling on uneven ground (from mountains to the valleys at the end) to demand its revenge rather than horrible atrocity that we only hear near the end. Please note, there are no big twists and turns here; In fact, the simplicity of the story is what allows Neeson and Brosnan to take over the relay and impregnate the mood of the film with an attractive and tragic melancholy, the student at a higher level. The action is raw and brutal (almost everything and everyone is drawn here at a given moment) with little mercy to distribute, but there is also a sincere lamentation on the loss which subtly transforms “Seraphim falls” in a much deeper and stimulating work that it seems initially. This is particularly the case with its unusual end, which I will not spoil here.

Oliver Hirschbieg’s partially psychological drama is one of those mood pieces that is a difficult watch. It’s dark, sad and slow, requiring narrow and undivided attention, but if you just find the right time to see it, the rewards can be many. In truth, I have not seen this film for over 16 years, but as a young adult in 2009, its heavy history and its performances in diaper brilliantly made an impression on me that I have not forgotten since.

“Five Minutes of Heaven” reconstructs the murder of 1975 of Jim Griffin (19) by the head of the voluntary force of Ulster (UVF), Alistair Little (Mark Ryder / Liam Neeson) during the disorders in Northern Ireland. Although the first half of the film shows us that Timeline, the most intriguing part arrives 33 years later when Little, out of prison, should meet Joe Griffin (Kevin O’Neill / James Nesbitt), Jim’s younger brother, who witnessed the murder of his brother all these years ago. The meeting is supposed to be televised by the media in the hope of reconciliation, but things do not go exactly as planned – because the main objective of Joe is to kill little to avenge the death of his brother. That he can pass with it is another question.

Neeson is superb here as the older little, a changed man who remembers the fact that it was to be a member of the UVF, to spread the hatred, the violence and the death of Catholics as if it were his life mission. It is clear that this role was of vital importance for Neeson, and it withdrew from its Irish roots to offer a representation which gives to think and devastating.

When Joe Carnahan’s “The Gray” was released in 2012, I remember that many people were disappointed because it was not another set filled with action in the vein of “Taken”. Seeing his hearing ratings today, I don’t know if this perception has changed, but that should certainly. Although the trailers are terribly deceptive, “The Gray” is a fascinating survival thriller with a philosophical and emotional foundation which serves as a significant core, instead of being another booming action film against the elements. Neeson’s macho melancholy is used with a great effect here, and the film goes on its convincing and tragic central performance as a depressed and discouraged man forced to fight for survival.

The intrigue follows John Ottway (Neeson), a sniper who protects the entirely male staff from an oil company in an installation far from the wilderness of Alaska. As a recent widower, he is discouraged and even considers suicide, but decides in the end. The next day, while he and his colleagues take a plane to return to Anchorage, the engine works badly and crashes them on a earth in the middle of nowhere. Ottway and six other men survive, and we follow them while they were trying to escape a pack of wolves and return to civilization.

“The Gray” is nothing like the other Neeson actuators, which is a good thing because the role of Ottway requires much more than simply offering another routine performance. Here, it is a vulnerable and relatable protagonist who does not necessarily win the day, but he agrees with that too. If you missed or misused this film at the time, do not hesitate to give it another chance.

Among the many B-Flicks that have “taken” generated (and believe me, there are more than what can be managed), the 2014 Thriller of Jaume Collet-Serra “Non-Stop” is among the best (of which there are very few). Regarding the plot, it is almost as incredible and cliché as the rest, but the Magnetic Magnetic Magnetic Charism of Neeson, combined with a capable cast (Julianne Moore, Shea Whigham, Lupita Nyong’o, Corey Stoll, etc.) and a solid direction, makes it a kind of pearl in the mud. It is far from being as engaging and satisfactory as Bryan Mills eliminating the Albanian mafia through Europe to save his daughter, but it is a film quite entertaining at one time before playing such a protagonist has become a dull routine for Neeson.

In “Non-Stop”, he plays Bill Marks, an American marshal and a former NYPD officer who is in transatlantic flight from New York to London when he receives a disturbing message on his phone, saying that a passenger will die every 20 minutes unless $ 150 million is transferred to a specific banking account. It takes a long time in chaos to follow, including the accusation that Marks is behind all the shenanigans, and Neeson quickly goes into a hard -cooked mode to find the responsible criminal brain and deliver as many blows and fire to the head as it needs until the situation is resolved. And of course, you cannot make an airplane film without an accident that landed somewhere on the whole line.

The “A Monster Calls” of the filmmaker of the Spaniard Ja Bayona can hardly be called underestimated (much less forgotten), but I believe that the performance / the pivot voice of Neeson acting as the monster of the Sage but intimidating iff. The 2016 film is one of the best fantastic dramas – based on an equally captivating book written by Patrick Ness – on sorrow and the pain of losing a parent in terminal phase. The intrigue follows Conor O’malley (Lewis MacDougall), a 12 -year -old English boy whose mother quickly dies of cancer. His way of facing is by drawing; From there, an imaginary world was born in his mind, in which an IF comes to life to help him with his emotional suffering and to accept the loss he will have to face soon.

“A Monster Calls” is a film that uses its spectacular visuals in the service of transmitting complex emotions to break your heart, then cure it with kindness and love. Its narration and its execution are intelligent and poignant, daring to go as deep as they need, and expose the most difficult truths that a child can face. MacDougall is simply brilliant (a revelation, really) as a conor, playing his heart and his soul in each scene that requires the purest emotions. And the deep voice and baritone of Neeson with a perfect accent of the height completes it at each stage of the process. In the painful but moving end, it is his voice that also soothes and comforts the tears that flow on your cheek like a hot cover.