Born in Northern Ireland in 1952. Liam Neeson he is one of the most beloved and talented actors of his generation. Winner of the Venice Volpi Prize in 1996 thanks to the film. Michael Collinsand nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Drama Schindler’s List – Schindler’s List.throughout his career he has had the opportunity to collaborate with great authors on the international stage (such as Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen or Christopher Nolan) and play memorable roles in some very successful action films (such as Taken).
Liam Neeson has always given himself to projects of various calibers, not sparing himself, moving from comedies to high-voltage thrillers, working both in auteur films and in more commercial and mainstream ones. All of them are films that manage to highlight a multifaceted talent and often deserve to be returned to the mind and eye of the public. Therefore, we decided to restore Liam Neeson best moviesrecommending some of the works (offered in strict chronological order) that we believe are among the most successful and iconic in his filmography.
1. Mission (1986)
Probably not many people associate the Roland Joffé film with the face of Liam Neeson. We are coming to terms with one of the undisputed cults in the history of cinema, but undoubtedly (and, if you like, correctly) the general public associates the film with music. Ennio Morricone (always a favorite of the Maestro himself among those composed by him and scandalously not awarded an Oscar) or interpretations Robert DeNiro AND Jeremy Irons. However, Neeson is also involved in an operation that would win the Palme d’Or at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival. a more successful and ambitious scene, able to put the actor on the launch pad, ready to take off.
2. Schindler’s List (1993)
Spielberg himself considers it the most important film of his career. Schindler’s list it is an immortal and timeless work: a clear and in some way inimitable example of how cinema can be both a great historical performance and reconstruction, and a work of art at the same time. Winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, this film represents one of the highlights of Liam Neeson’s acting career. Of course, the translator can count on the solid “shoulder” that Sir Ben Kingsley, however, the charisma and dramatic tension brought about by the protagonist’s work give the film its poignancy. It is impossible not to be touched by the depiction of an epoch-making drama that once again appears before the eyes of the public in all its ruthless brutality and brutality.
3 Star Wars Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
Longtime fans consider it one of the least successful projects of the entire saga. Star Wars Episode I – “The Phantom Menace” it was rather unique than rare. In fact, if today we are used to eating products associated with a brand created by George Lucas (new trilogy, spin-off, series, comic, etc.) at the time, it was an anticipated and anticipated comeback for almost two decades. In reality, however, the film has more than a few problems. However, the media coverage is unprecedented, and the presence of Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn, master of the young Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor) is one of those pleasures and experiences that definitely doesn’t happen every day. Neeson decided to play this piece not immediately. In fact, Lucas initially preferred to cast an American actor, but after meeting a British translator, he changed his mind precisely because he saw in his talents and character an example, a guide, a model that the rest of the actors could follow and consult during the production process. . It was because of this coincidence of his character and personality (both supportive teachers and colleagues) that the director was convinced of the choice.
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4. Gangs of New York (2002)
Gang of New York is one of the director’s most beloved and iconic films Martin Scorsese in the 2000s. However, as in the mid-80s, for example, Mission, also in this case, it is difficult for the general public to remember the presence of Liam Neeson in the project. Magnificent scenography by Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo, the charm of the Cinecittà studio, the call sign of the director and, above all, the exceptional trident at the edge of a respectable cast (Leonardo DiCaprioCameron Diaz Daniel Day-Lewis) slightly eclipsed Neeson’s presence. However, his charisma and talent were not slow to show themselves in the first minutes of the film. The film will be nominated for 10 Oscars (including Best Feature Film, Best Director and Best Actor) but fail to win any of them. Because of the media coverage he had in later years, Gangs of New York probably remains one of the most precious gems of Liam Neeson’s filmography.
5. Love Actually (2003)
It’s one of the most famous and iconic sentimental comedies of all time, able to alternate between laughs, tears and a good dose of healthy cinematic rhetoric. Everything is decorated in a Christmas setting, which doesn’t hurt at all, and is adorned with a dizzying cast. Film about Richard Curtis it has now become a modern classic. The director has a knack for unraveling multiple stories in what is remembered as a choral project dedicated to the most common and widespread feeling: love. Among others, they are present on stage Hugh grantColin Firth, Emma Thompson Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman, Rowan Atkinson, Martin Freeman, Claudia Schiffer and, of course, our very own Liam Neeson. The translator takes on the role of Daniel, a recently widowed father of a family who will have to try to help and support his eleven-year-old son, who, miraculously, is struggling with his first sentimental upheavals. In short, after apparently more dedicated roles and before the action that will accompany him from the mid-2000s to the present day, Liam Neeson is entertaining and entertaining us by playing a character clearly far from his standards, proving that he is an all-around actor. capable of capturing every nuance.
6 Batman Begins (2005)
First part of the narrative trilogy Christopher Nolan dedicated to Batman, will eventually become a landmark film. Of course, it is best to remember the second name, The Dark Knight (2008) as the best and most successful. However, it would be unfair not to consider already in Batman Begins characteristics and cinematic mood that the director wanted to give to this saga. It’s definitely a dark and bleak piece of work, a far cry from the more colorful and light-hearted glory of the Marvel brand. Nolan’s hero is tormented, suffering and crushed by the weight of responsibility. Just like the antagonists he’ll have to contend with are decidedly complex and layered characters that follow twisted logic and philosophy, but are overall understandable and mesmerizing. Neeson is the first big villain in this saga. He plays Ra’s al Ghul and manages to give the character a sinister allure in the perfect balance between elegance and cynical brutality. Comparisons to Heath Ledger’s Joker have always led to an underestimation of the actor’s interpretation in the eyes of the general public. Quite rightly, the villain par excellence (masterfully played by the aforementioned Ledger, who received a posthumous Oscar for this role) is Batman’s nemesis: a court jester as insane as he is brilliant, able to make the most cold-blooded and cunning hero lose his comic book coordinates. world calculator. And yet Neeson has a sinister character who moves in the shadows, caresses the darkness, and that is why the actor’s rough and enigmatic face hits the mark.
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7. I will find you (2008)
It is known that at the end of his career, Liam Neeson “specialized” in action films. Even today, despite his age, he often participates in high-voltage games where his performance, especially physical performance, is at the center of amazing adventures. This trend appears to be driven by the success I will find you. Produced and written Luc Besson, the film follows the hunt for a former CIA agent (actually Neeson) on the trail of his daughter and her kidnappers. The film was a unique and unexpected success with the public. On a budget of $25 million, it grossed over 225 worldwide at the end of its run, so much so that the production immediately began writing sequels and thus began what became a veritable saga called Taken. As with any self-respecting fanbase, we’re sure there will be people who, rather than prefer this title over Neeson’s action movies, would like to see some other examples on the list. Nevertheless, it seemed “correct” to recall the success of this work precisely from the point of view of a pioneering film that somehow shuffled the cards of an acting career a bit: a kind of symbol to tell and remember this important bracket of his work.
8. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
Guided by these two genius gods The Coen Brothers, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is an atypical western, divided into six independent series, each of which is conceived and filmed with a different dramatic style and mood. Since its introduction at the Venice Film Festival, most critics have spoken in favor of the segment starring Liam Neeson. This is the darkest, most grotesque and melancholic episode of the entire project, but that is why it is also the most human and touching. The actor plays an impresario who travels from city to city to earn a living with a young Englishman with mutilated arms and legs, who, through a touching and dramatic monologue, manages to win the sympathy (and money) of the audience. However, gradually the business will no longer be so profitable, and this is where Neeson will have to look for an alternative solution. The episode, filled with the typical pessimism of the Coen brothers, also works thanks to our excellent interpretation, which is rarely so intense and poignant on the big screen.