Opening theatrically on November 1, 2024, Absolution is the latest action extravaganza starring Liam Neeson as a vengeful one-person wrecking crew. However, those entering the film blind expecting the same tried-and-true Neeson revenge formula will be surprised by the artistic flourishes that separate it from the pack.
Although Neeson fans saw a similar heightened aesthetic in Cold Pursuit, also directed by Hans Petter Moland, Absolution focuses more on artistic vision through stunning cinematography, frigid atmosphere, unforgettable music, and measured pacing. The result allows Neeson to give a more nuanced, pensive performance that is different enough to attract new and old fans.
3 What Is Absolution About?
An American action crime thriller, Absolution stars Liam Neeson as Thug, a former boxer turned gangster in Boston who grapples with his mortality after being diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). Thug has sustained a lifetime of concussive head trauma since childhood and is now feeling the subsequent depression that often develops in career athletes who compete in collision sports.
In addition to being ill, Thug battles alcoholism and deals with one bad decision after another, forcing him to make amends with his estranged daughter Daisy (Frankie Shaw) and adolescent grandson, Dre (Terrence Pulliam), who he’s never met before. A personal story of parental redemption in the face of impending death, Absolution attempts to meld the typical Neeson action formula created in 2008’s Taken with a stylish arthouse film, resulting unevenly.
With death on Thug’s door, the former pugilist fights his internal demons by reflecting on his past, confronting his darkest sins, and making a vow to be a better father and grandfather. However, compared to Neeson’s performance as a demented father in 2002’s Memory, the dramatic stakes are much lower. There is no final boss to defeat or a main objective to achieve before dying. For Thug, it’s about recognizing his transgressions, owning them, and accepting their ramifications while making up with his family.
2 Absolution’s Artistic Flourishes, Explained
Norwegian filmmaker Hans Petter Moland adds plenty of arthouse aesthetics to Absolution. The first choice was to reunite several key crewmembers from his acclaimed 2014 art film In Order of Disappearance, which served as the blueprint for the American remake, Cold Pursuit (coincidentally starring Neeson). For Absolution, Moland brought back cinematographer Philip Ogaard, and production designer Jorgen Stangebye.
Moland, Ogaard, and Stangebye combine to give Absolution a gorgeously visual display. Sharp, crisp winter imagery is balanced by grainy 1970s-style cinema to create an elevated look compared to most Neeson action movies. To accentuate the reflective melancholy of Thug’s introspection, a much more ponderous pace differs from the non-stop action most Neeson fans are used to.
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To this end, little violence occurs for the first hour, allowing Thug to ruminate about his past and upcoming death through ornate, semi-psychedelic dream sequences. When Thug’s vengeful violence comes, it comes late yet swift enough to satiate Neeson fans expecting to see more of the same since 2008. Yet, beyond the lack of violence early on, Kaspar Kaae’s (In Order of Disappearance) moody musical score accentuates the drab winter setting in Boston. The movie’s atmosphere is heightened by the artistic choices made by Moland and his tight-knit crew.
As alluded to, Moland compensates for the lack of narrative of thrust and violent action scenes by arranging lavish dream scenarios for Thug to express his trauma, grief, and regret. At one point, Thug imagines that he is submerged underwater in his bedroom, where he begins fishing with his father in a misty-eyed recollection. Moments like these give the movie a fanciful quality that most Neeson action movies lack. Despite the ambitious attempt, the results remain uneven.
1 Absolution’s Critical Response
Far from a single writer’s opinion, Absolution’s critical consensus suggests that Moland’s artistic choices hardly moved the needle. With an evenly divided 50 Metascore and an equal 50% Rotten Tomatoes rating, most agree that subverting the classic Neeson action formula to favor more artistic qualities has middling results. Positive and negative reviews highlight the stylish aesthetic compared to previous Neeson movies.
Richard Roeper’s positive review notes how the movie sidesteps its well-worn formula, “Thanks to the suitably gritty and grainy, New England-set direction by Hans Petter Moland.” Likewise, The Hollywood Reporter adds in its 7/10 review:
“The director’s Nordic sensibility means he spends a pleasing amount of time on milieu and character development and has little use for sentimentality, lending the material soulfulness and psychological depth that get you invested in the solitary protagonist.”
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On the flip side, detractors like Mick LaSalle see very little point in adding the artistic touches, stating:
“Director Hans Petter Moland is Norwegian and can be forgiven for such Scandinavian digressions, but for a movie like ‘Absolution,’ there’s no point in borrowing tricks from the Ingmar Bergman playbook.”
Finally, IndieWire’s C-grade review admires the attempt but remains unimpressed by the results, declaring:
“This Mad Lib of a movie amounts to an extremely self-serious remix of the same old tropes that Neeson has already tortured to death. It’s like watching his last 20 action vehicles projected onto the same unmasked AMC screen all at once.”
While Absolution may not work for everyone, Neeson and Moland have tried something different to give the actor’s action movie fans a new take on an old formula. Absolution is currently playing in select cinemas.
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