With a career spanning five decades and counting, Liam Neeson is easily one of the most celebrated and prolific actors working in the industry today. An award-winning actor of stage and screen, Neeson is best remembered for his iconic leading roles in films like Schindler’s List and the Taken trilogy, as well as his memorable supporting characters in The Dark Knight trilogy and Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. But though the actor continues to rack up notable credits with his films today, some of his best performances have been in movies that hardly anyone remembers today.
That doesn’t mean these aren’t great films. In fact, at least some of them were major hits in their day that have simply faded from the limelight with the passage of time. But though they may not be as talked about anymore, they are essential viewing for any fan of Neeson’s work and great cinema in general. So, without further ado, here’s our handpicked selection of the greatest Liam Neeson movies nobody remembers, including both forgotten classics and more recent under-the-radar releases.
8
‘Darkman’ (1990)
A masked Liam Neeson with a hat taking photos from behind a net in Sam Raimi’s DarkmanImage via Universal Pictures
Directed and co-written by Sam Raimi, Darkman is an original superhero horror film that draws inspiration from classic monster movies and pulp sci-fi. The movie stars Liam Neeson as a scientist who is brutally attacked by a ruthless mobster, prompting him to use an experimental treatment that gives him superhuman powers at the cost of his sanity. The film also features Larry Drake, Frances McDormand, and Colin Friels in supporting roles.
Darkman is perhaps most notable for being Neeson’s first time playing the central role in an action movie. Though it isn’t widely remembered outside of genre circles, Darkman was a critical and commercial success in its day, and it went on to spawn a successful multimedia franchise that includes novels, comics, video games, and two direct-to-video sequels. A dark, gothic fantasy brought to life through inventive makeup and practical effects, the film is an important landmark in the evolution of the superhero genre and one of Neeson’s most underrated movies.
7
‘In The Land Of Saints And Sinners’ (2023)
Liam Neeson as Finbar Murphy in In the Land of Saints and SinnersImage via Facing East Entertainment
Directed by Robert Lorenz, In the Land of Saints and Sinners is an Irish period action thriller set in the 1970s. Liam Neeson stars as Finbar Murphy, a former hitman living a quiet life in a small village where a group of IRA bombers seek refuge, causing harm to the villagers and forcing Finbar to come out of retirement. Kerry Condon, Jack Gleeson, Colm Meaney, Sarah Greene, Ciarán Hinds, and more star in supporting roles.
Neeson’s Finbar Murphy is easily one of the actor’s best action roles in recent years, and his performance is a major highlight of the film. A thrilling movie with excellent cinematography and a picturesque setting, In the Land of Saints and Sinners earned favorable reviews after its world premiere at the 2023 Venice International Film Festival. Besides Neeson, Condon and Gleeson also received praise for their performances in the film, with Condon in particular delivering a brilliant performance as the fanatical revolutionary who becomes the main antagonist of the story.
6
‘Cold Pursuit’ (2019)
Liam Neeson in Cold PursuitImage via StudioCanal
Directed by Hans Petter Moland, Cold Pursuit is a dark comedy action thriller that’s a remake of Moland’s hit Norwegian film In Order of Disappearance. The film follows Neeson’s Nels Coxman, a Colorado snowplow driver, as he sets off on a bloody quest for vengeance after his son is murdered by a drug cartel, racking up an impressive kill count and starting a gang war along the way. Tom Bateman, Tom Jackson, Emmy Rossum, Laura Dern, and more star in supporting roles.
A unique blend of black humor and extreme violence, Cold Pursuit may not be quite as good as the film it’s based on, but it is a solid action thriller that captures the twisted satire of the original while transporting the story to the American context. Neeson’s role in the film is as action-heavy as any of his most famous characters, but with a certain quiet, stoic quality that makes his gruesome kills all the more entertaining. The film had a decent box office run, grossing over $76 million against a $60 million budget, and it went on to earn a Saturn Award nomination for Best Action or Adventure Film.
5
‘A Walk Among The Tombstones’ (2014)
Liam Neeson as Matthew Scudder in ‘A Walk Among the Tombstones’.Image via Universal Pictures
Written and directed by Scott Frank, A Walk Among the Tombstones is a neo-noir action thriller adapted from the 1992 novel by Lawrence Block, which is the tenth book in the Matt Scudder novel series. The film stars Neeson as Scudder, a former NYPD detective turned private investigator, who is hired to find a pair of kidnappers who brutally murdered the wife of a drug dealer. The movie also features Dan Stevens, David Harbour, Boyd Holbrook, and more in supporting roles.
A Walk Among the Tombstones is hardly the first time Neeson has played a grizzled detective in a noir thriller, but it is easily one of the actor’s best turns in the familiar role. The film was quite well-received by critics at the time of its release, earning praise for Neeson’s performance and the stylish production, and it was a decent box office success as well, grossing $62 million worldwide against a $28 million budget. The movie may not be particularly groundbreaking, but Neeson’s powerhouse performance as Matt Scudder transforms what would otherwise be a cliché crime drama into a truly gripping character-driven thriller.
4
‘Ordinary Love’ (2019)
Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville in Ordinary LoveImage Via Universal Pictures
Directed by Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn from a screenplay by Owen McCafferty, Ordinary Love is a romantic drama starring Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville as a married couple who have been together for many years. The film explores their struggle to cope with a cancer diagnosis that shakes up their loving but routine lives. The movie also stars David Wilmot, Amit Shah, and Nicole Pierce in supporting roles.
A heartfelt slice-of-life romance drama, Ordinary Love sees Neeson in the grounded and sensitive role of a man who’s terrified of losing his wife, the only person he has left in the world. It’s a painful, beautiful, and heartwrenching film that premiered to positive reviews at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. Though it wasn’t very commercially successful, the film earned near-universal acclaim for its story and the powerful performances by Manville and Neeson, and their easy chemistry is what powers and anchors the whole story.
3
‘Kinsey’ (2004)
Peter Sarsgaard writing something while Liam Neeson stands over him watching in KinseyImage via Fox Searchlight
Written and directed by Bill Condon, Kinsey is a biographical drama starring Liam Neeson as Alfred Charles Kinsey, a groundbreaking sex researcher whose work redefined our understanding of human sexuality. Through the frame of an interview, the film explores Kinsey’s life and work, which attracted controversy and intense backlash from the highly conservative American society of the 1940s and ’50s. The movie also stars Laura Linney, Chris O’Donnell, Peter Sarsgaard, Timothy Hutton, John Lithgow, Tim Curry, Oliver Platt, and Dylan Baker.
An insightful biopic of an influential but little-acknowledged historical figure, Kinsey is anchored by Neeson’s terrific performance in the lead role, supported by the brilliant Laura Linney, who received an Academy Award nomination for her performance. The film had a modest box office run and earned near-universal acclaim from reviewers, hailed by multiple critics as one of the best films of 2004. Apart from Linney’s Oscar nomination, the movie also earned several more accolades, including three nominations for Golden Globes, and was named one of the top 10 films of the year by both the American Film Institute and the National Board of Review.
2
‘A Monster Calls’ (2016)
Conor O’Malley (Lewis MacDougall) with a monster behind him in ‘A Monster Calls’Image via Focus Features
Directed by J. A. Bayona, A Monster Calls is a dark fantasy drama written by Patrick Ness and adapted from his 2011 novel. The film stars Lewis MacDougall as a boy struggling with his mother’s terminal illness who encounters an anthropomorphic yew tree (Neeson) that visits him every night and tells him three stories. The movie also features Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, and Toby Kebbell in supporting roles.
A Monster Calls features Neeson in a voice and motion capture role as the titular monster, a fantastical creature that helps the story’s protagonist confront his own dark truth. The movie premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival to positive reviews, and though it didn’t perform too well at the box office, the film has been praised for its sensitive story, compelling performances, and stellar direction. The movie also went on to earn several honors, including eight Gaudà Awards and nine Goya Awards.
1
‘Michael Collins’ (1996)
Michael Collins (Liam Neeson) leading a crowd in ‘Michael Collins’Image via Warner Brothers
Written and directed by Neil Jordan, Michael Collins is a biographical period drama that stars Liam Neeson as the titular Irish revolutionary. The film explores the Irish struggle for independence in the early 20th century and the conflicting ideologies and approaches of the revolutionaries, as Collins leads the Irish Republican Army in a deadly guerrilla war against the British Empire. Besides Neeson, the film also stars Aidan Quinn, Stephen Rea, Alan Rickman, and Julia Roberts in key roles.
Though the movie is largely forgotten these days, Michael Collins was an important and much-talked-about film of 1996, especially because it was one of the most expensive movies ever made in Ireland. An epic period political thriller, the film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Golden Lion and earned Neeson the festival’s Best Actor Award for his intense performance in the title role. The movie was also the highest-grossing film up to that point in Ireland, and it went on to receive several more accolades, including Academy Award nominations for Best Original Score and Best Cinematography.
Release Date
October 25, 1996
Runtime
132 minutes
Director
Neil Jordan
Producers
Stephen Woolley