Ticket 2 Ride

Liam Neeson made Absolution in 2024, but it must not have gotten much of a distribution; I only found it recently. I’ll see and review anything that Neeson is in – the good, the bad and the Naked Gun.

Absolution is a joint production of Samuel Goldwyn Films and Sculptor Media, companies Neeson has worked with in the past. Abolution, directed by Norwegian filmmaker Hans Petter Moland, might appear to be an action film, but it’s more of a sad, character study of a man who is quickly descending into dementia. A doctor gives him a preliminary diagnosis of CTE, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, telling him to basically get his affairs in order. A former boxer and mob muscle-man, his memory loss and moments of rage, have put him at the crossroads of his life. His memory loss is so bad, he must write down the names of the people in his life, he has no recall. CTE can only be confirmed by dissecting and examining brain tissue, something not possible before death, or at least highly inconvenient.

Neeson has told interviewers that he relates to the character in the film, having grown up in Northern Ireland and boxing as a child. “Yeah, and the last time I was 16 or 17. I was a kid but I was still a boxer getting hit. Personally, I did identify with this film. I remember once getting slightly concussed in a boxing tournament,” Neeson told the Boston Herald.

You might recall the 2022 Neeson film Memory, in which he played a hitman with a failing memory and isn’t sure of just about everything. Neeson did a convincing job in that film of a man fighting for his life on two fronts. Absolution is a grittier, more personal film, and “Thug,” the Neeson character, has very little that’s redeeming, and it’s difficult to feel much sympathy for his condition.

After his diagnosis, Thug realizes how little he’s really accomplished in life. He’s had little recent contact with his two adult children, to the point that he must be reminded that his son is dead. His daughter, wants nothing to do with him, and chalks him up to a string of bad men in her life, men who pass the mean, irresponsible traits to their offsprings.

Still, Thug tries to create a relationship with his grandson, showing him some boxing moves and giving some advice in dealing with other boys. Thug also comes to the aid of a woman in a bar who is being threatened by her boyfriend. They strike up a relationship, and she becomes, for awhile, the only friend he has.

The memory lapses intensify as does his lashing out at others. His temper is scary, as he turns it on those close to him. In the last third of the film, whether Thug attempts to atone for the bad things he’s done, or simply seizes an opportunity to make some pay for their actions, Thug seems out to to do a little good while he still can.

Stories where the protagonist is an unlikable character makes it challenging for the audience to develop an emotional connection. The character must be well-written or the performance must tip the scale to circumvent the unlikable element. Neeson is a fine actor even when he’s in shitty films. I always find something desirable in his performance that transcends cliched or poorly written material. Thug is not a deep character, but he is deeply flawed. Neeson shows a man with several rivers of pain and disappointment. He’s not above directing that pain at himself or others. That rages seems to confuse even himself.

Moland directed 2019’s Cold Pursuit, which starred Neeson as a snowplow driver out to get revenge on a drug organization that murdered his son. This was a very effective action/thriller, a remake of Moland’s original Norwegian film In Order of Disappearance.

Neeson is also on record as hating the Absolution film title, which he says gives away much of the film’s third act. He preferred the original title, Thug.

The cast of Absolution is mostly unknown to me except for Ron Perlman as the mob boss. There are some very good performances including Yolanda Ross as Thug’s girlfriend, and Frankie Shaw as his daughter.

There’s nothing particularly uplifting or spellbinding about this film. Neeson’s performance is solid and you believe his anger and frustration, still it’s a tough watch, but a competently made film.