Every Liam Neeson Action Movie Ranked Worst To Best
Neeson's late bloom as an action star has had its ups and downs.
In 2008, acclaimed character actor and Oscar nominee Liam Neeson made a career move that both shocked and excited the world. No longer would people see him as Charles Kinsey or Oskar Schindler; after kicking all kinds of ass in Taken, he'd forever be remembered as the undisputed king of the middle-aged action hero movie.
Since mixing things up with Taken, Neeson has barely paused to take a breath, releasing numerous films (including two Taken sequels) that have found him using his imposing frame, gruff voice, and surprising sensitivity to play a wide range of weathered killers, thieves and spies thrust into one last, deeply personal mission.
Not all of these films have been successful, but there's more in here to celebrate than meets the eye. Thanks to their predictable but entertaining thrills and Neeson's consistently commanding performances, his late-career resurgence as an action star has offered up some truly perfect examples of cinematic escapism.
With that in mind, from the film that started it all to his more recent fumbles, here is every Liam Neeson action movie ranked worst to best. For brevity's sake, this list will only include films post-Taken and where Neeson is front-and-centre, meaning movies such as Clash of the Titans, Battleship, and Darkman won't make the cut.
16. Blacklight (2022)
On paper, Blacklight has all the makings of a dependably fun Liam Neeson action flick. This time round, he stars as FBI fixer Travis Block, who is thrown headfirst into a government conspiracy just as he decides to retire and spend more time with his family.
As solid as this sounds, though, the finished product leaves much to be desired, as Neeson -- now 70 and visibly slowing down as the action attempts to speed up -- struggles through the material with little to no interest, and director Mark Williams chops his way through a barrage of action sequences that are too messy to follow.
Blacklight is a lazy dud that exists only to bank off Neeson's place as a beloved action star, and has no interest in adding anything compelling to his back catalogue. It relies on cliché and trite villainy, and is so muddled by its own dullness it barely feels like a real movie. It's honestly tragic to witness Neeson stoop so low.