Big Picture Big Sound

So few things are certain in our chaotic world. As the saying goes, we can always count on death and taxes, but it's fair to add Liam Neeson releasing a gun-toting thriller in the early months of the year to the list. It's become tiring to dissect and cover because Neeson once said he was done with action movies, but that continues to be the genre he works in most. His last actioner was supposed to be 2019's "Cold Pursuit," but he's back with "Blacklight," an insufficient thriller that finds his character in familiar scenarios.

Neeson stars as Travis Block, who has worked as a government fixer, of sorts, for many years. This has caused great strain on his relationship with his daughter Amanda (Claire van der Boom), who is afraid he is passing his bad traits on to her daughter. Travis is ready to stop doing his work, but the head of the FBI, Agent Gabriel Robinson (Aidan Quinn), refuses to end Travis' contract and set him free. Once Travis learns about the shadowy dealings of the FBI, he takes it upon himself to find out the truth about the agency's nefarious Operation Unity.

As "Blacklight" unfolds, the movie feels both overstuffed and contrived, thinly plotted and by-the-numbers. Travis becomes entangled with a reporter named Mira Jones (Emmy Raver-Lampman), who is tracking the story of Operation Unity and hoping to get more information out of Travis for her story.

Mark Williams (who last directed Neeson in 2020's "Honest Thief") doesn't miss a beat when handling a Neeson-led thriller. Travis is a grizzled, world-weary man with a fridge full of beer and a turbulent relationship with his daughter. At this point each movie Neeson attaches himself to has started to feel copied-and-pasted from the one before, and it's a disappointing evolution for the actor. There was a time, in a post-"Taken" world, where Neeson's new career as an action star still felt novel and exciting and a must-go trip to the movies. Now, it feels like he has moved into Bruce Willis and Nicholas Cage (last year's best film "Pig" notwithstanding) career territory. It's not a place you want to strive for.

The action in "Blacklight" is serviceable at times, if never spectacular (which should be the bare minimum for these rinse-and-repeat action pictures) because Williams can never settle on where to put the camera. Sometimes we are in the midst of an exciting set piece, while other times the camera is zoomed too close and at an distorienting angle. Is this an attempt at variety? Perhaps, but it's often distracting.

It's unclear how many people have continued to follow Neeson's action career but it appears, like most film audiences, it has dwindled. Neeson once pledged to put down his gun, and four movies after that declaration, he still hasn't. It's time.