I’ve seen a lot of movies like this over the years, wherein crime syndicates are ripped apart by internal strife, questions of honor and family, and violent wrongs perpetrated by people who don’t know any other way to survive.  There isn’t anything particularly fresh, original or intriguing about this new iteration, other than sitting back and watching old pros Liam Neeson and Ed Harris go to war over despicable actions committed by one of their sons.  By the end of the story at least a dozen people have been eliminated, including bad guys, badder guys, drug dealers, hired killers and police officers.

Jaume Collet-Serra’s film casts Liam Neeson as a washed-up bag man still hanging around a syndicate run by Ed Harris.  Harris’ son, Boyd Holbrook, instigates a drug deal that goes terribly wrong, involving Neeson’s estranged son, Joel Kinnaman. Neeson protects his son, forcing a showdown with Harris and his mob.  The key to the story is that Neeson still has enough savvy to keep his son alive while Harris and his goons are hunting them throughout the city.  Anyone who has seen the Taken  films or any action film with Liam Neeson in the last five years knows that this man is going to prevail.

Collet-Serra takes his time setting up the story, establishing character parameters and traits for his wise guys and then unleashes the action, which is pretty solid.  If this all weren’t so predictable, obvious and familiar, I would consider it a good film. But having seen it all before, I am jaded.  Another strike against is the staging of the final confrontation between Neeson and Harris, in a train yard.  I’ve seen this same stalking shootout between boxcars at least a dozen times, and done better.  So while Run All Night has a nice intensity, quite a bit of gunplay and some solid production values, it just doesn’t thrill me like it should.  ☆ ☆ 1/2.  17 March 2015.