Blacklight

By: MJ Asuncion

The action film genre is widely popular and there will never be a shortage of them each year. One actor who has embraced this genre, where it would almost seem that there should be a “sub-genre” for him, would be the famed actor, Liam Neeson. Ever since his debut as an action leading man in the film Taken (2008), an unexpected box office hit, Neeson has had a number of action films throughout his career. His most recent action/thriller film projects all seem to fit the same general mold, only with a new cast of characters. Neeson plays the central character who always has a “special set of skills” that is necessary to fight the bad guys and bring upon justice, all while protecting his family or loved ones. This leading character is invariably redeemable, even if he’s made some poor choices in his past. Liam Neeson’s most recent project, Blacklight, premieres this month and once again follows his films’ all too familiar recipe, minus a memorable tagline, very little action sequences and lacking the dozens of enemies to fend off.

In the upcoming film Blacklight, Liam Neeson stars as Travis Block, an FBI operative who is known as the “fixer that extracts deep-undercover agents who have gotten themselves into dangerous situations. Block is highly trained, loyal and the best at what he does. He suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (“OCD”) and rigorous tendencies, which affect his professional and personal life. Block is also a devoted father and grandfather, but there is a strain in those relationships most likely due to his job and the danger that comes with it. The hazards of his profession show early in the film when Block is tasked by his friend and FBI director Gabriel Robinson (Aidan Quinn) to extract the on-the-run operative Dusty Crane (Taylor John Smith). Dusty has approached investigative journalist Mira Jones (Emmy Raver-Lampman) with information that the government is murdering innocent civilians. Block must not only face the dangers of an unhinged operative and hidden government objectives, but also the dark secrets he has unknowingly been a part of. Unexpectedly paired together, Block and Mira must work to expose the truth behind who is targeting U.S. citizens.

Liam Neeson’s portrayal of FBI operative Block resembles his previous roles as an agent or ex-agent. There’s no mistaking Neeson’s trademark quiet demeanor and deep, gravelly voice. He’s consistent and on target with his delivery, but it just seems to fall a little flat, lacking in charisma and energy. Emmy Raver-Lampman, who’s known for the Netflix series “The Umbrella Academy,” is underutilized as the hungry reporter wanting to break the story. Though Raver-Lampman does a fair job at the role, there wasn’t much room in her character’s story for her to really add depth. The most energetic and memorable character in the film is the frantic loose cannon Dusty Crane and that’s saying a lot since even this role is a bit hollow and unfulfilled.

Blacklight is helmed by American film director, co-writer and producer Mark Williams. Williams also worked on two other films starring Liam Neeson, Honest Thief (2020) and The Marksman (2021). Although he has a number of film credits under his belt, one of Williams’ most well- known projects is the popular American crime television drama “Ozark” (2017), where he is the co-creator and also has the roles of producer and writer. Williams did his best with the added obstacle of the pandemic, filming in a more controlled environment in Australia, but it is apparent that the distancing and isolation played a part in the final production.

The story for Blacklight has potential to be a great conspiracy thriller, but the delivery is extremely underdeveloped and simple. The entire film feels a bit lacking and never actually hits what you would expect from an action thriller. There is very little suspense, no real surprises, lackluster action sequences and the impending danger never really feels threatening. I’ve come to expect a certain level of entertainment in Liam Neeson films, where he is an unrealistically well-trained fighter who is ingeniously outsmarting a lot of enemies, amidst explosions, shootouts and fight sequences. Unfortunately, Blacklight fails to provide even this escape.