Liam Neeson: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

2. Ra's Al Ghul - Batman Begins (2005)

From Darkman to Les Mis to Batman, Neeson plays the troubled hero very well. Despite Ra's being the villain, there is logic to his madness that gives cause for debate. Why not topple the current structure, purge its infrastructure in order to restore balance to a corrupt and cruel world? Sounds kind of sensible. And it's because Neeson plays Ra's to a tee that makes him Batman's greatest foe. For comic fans, there is a lot of back story attributed to Ra's that translates well into the film so he is allowed to become something even greater than just what the screenplay allows. But even still, his story acts exactly counter to Bruce's motivating the entire lore of all three of Nolan's Bat flicks. His cameo and story tie ups in Rises play well to finish the trilogy, but it's in Begins that Neeson is responsible for making that movie as incredible as it is. He's the perfect sympathetic villain, everything about his screen presence, his voice, his mysticism, his attitude makes you want to be taken under his wing. Ra's Al Ghul is Batman save for his desire to kill to return to balance. And it's because of Neeson's incredible performance that you find him less villainous and more sensible, less cliched and more absolutely appropriate. He plays the part so perfectly that, even as a viewer, you want to please him as if he were your teacher, but ultimately must stand your ground against him. Neeson creates the internal conflict, not just within Bruce Wayne, but also in the viewer. How often can an actor say he was responsible for a movie-goer second guessing their morals? Not often at all. Neeson gets to check that impossible task off his bucket list.