Liam Neesonis making some major decisions related to his action movie career. Neeson has starred in several popular action movies, such asThe Grey,The Commuter,The Marksman, and of course,theTakenmovies. However, the actor recently admitted that he is planning to retire from action movies. Neeson acknowledged that he is 72 years old now, and doesn’t want to film an action movie if he can’t even do most of his stunts. Therefore,Neeson predicted he would retire from action filmsby the end of 2025.
While Neeson’s name has become quite synonymous with the action genre in recent years, he actually did not get his start in action films. It was 2008’sTakenthat led Neeson further and further into the action genre.Takengrossed $226 million at the worldwide box office on a budget of just $25 million, so it only made sense for Neeson to star in more action movies. However, not all ofLiam Neeson’s action filmswere as successful as the originalTaken.
Most Of Liam Neeson’s Highest-Rated Movies Are Not Action Films
Liam Neeson Has Received Immense Praise From Several Dramatic Roles
While several of Liam Neeson’s action movies made a respectable amount of money at the box office, they were not all well-received by critics.The second and thirdTakenfilms received significantly worse reviews compared to the first, and many of his other standalone action movies did not fare any better. When looking at Neeson’s filmography, one will see that the highest-rated movies of his career are not action films.
Many argue that Liam Neeson should have won the Best Actor Academy Award for his performance inSchindler’s List. However, the award ended up going to Tom Hanks for his role inForrest Gump.
Steven Spielberg’sSchindler’s Listis the highest-rated movie of Neeson’s career. The film is a drama set during the Holocaust, andNeeson’s character, Oskar Schindler, is often listed as one of the best movie characters of all time. Other notable movies from Neeson’s career areOrdinary Love,Kinsey, andSilence. All the aforementioned films have significantly better scores on Rotten Tomatoes, and none of them are action films.
Liam Neeson’s Action Star Era May Have Overstayed Its Welcome
Liam Neeson Never Repeated The Success Of The First Taken Movie
WhileTakenwas an exciting and surprising turn for the actor following a career of mostly dramatic performances, Neeson may have remained in the action genre for too long. While the firstTakenfilm had an intriguing plot that allowed audiences to root for Neeson’s character, not many resonated with the second and thirdTakenmovies in the same way. As the series progressed, the events of the films became more and more unrealistic, which led to audiences no longer relating to the characters.
After Retiring From Action Movies In 2025, Liam Neeson Should Take Over This Genre Next
Liam Neeson has confirmed his plans to retire from action movies at the end of 2025 — but the perfect next step has already presented itself.
Beyond theTakenfranchise, two of Neeson’s more recent action movies,MemoryandBlacklight, have Rotten Tomatoes scores of 29% and 12%, respectively. Therefore, it is clear thatmost of Neeson’s action movies are not being received well by audiences. While the star does still have a rare action movie hit, such as 2023’sIn The Land of Saints and Sinners, which has an impressive 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, it is likely still a good idea forLiam Neesonto retire from action films sooner rather than later.
Taken
Cast
Taken stars Liam Neeson as ex-Green Beret and ex-CIA operative Bryan Mills, who retired from his life of fighting to be there for his family. When his teenage daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) travels to Paris and is kidnapped by human traffickers, Mills launches into action, mounting a one-man rescue mission that sees him tear through gangs of European criminals with extreme prejudice in hopes of finding and rescuing Kim before it’s too late.
