NEW RELEASE DVD RECOMMENDATION – RUN ALL NIGHT (2015)

PLOT SUMMARY: Brooklyn mobster and prolific hit man Jimmy Conlon, once known as The Gravedigger, has seen better days. Longtime best friend of mob boss Shawn Maguire, Jimmy, now 55, is haunted by the sins of his past-as well as a dogged police detective who’s been one step behind Jimmy for 30 years. Lately, it seems Jimmy’s only solace can be found at the bottom of a whiskey glass. But when Jimmy’s estranged son, Mike, becomes a target, Jimmy must make a choice between the crime family he chose and the real family he abandoned long ago. With Mike on the run, Jimmy’s only penance for his past mistakes may be to keep his son from the same fate Jimmy is certain he’ll face himself?at the wrong end of a gun. Now, with nowhere safe to turn, Jimmy just has one night to figure out exactly where his loyalties lie and to see if he can finally make things right. — ROTTEN TOMATOES

MY REVIEW: Putting Liam Neeson (Jimmy Conlon) and Ed Harris (Shawn Maguire) into the same movie has to be entertaining – and this was an entertaining movie even if somewhat predictable. The premise was good – Jimmy shoots Shawn’s son to protect his own estranged son. Then Shawn wants to kill Jimmy’s son in revenge. Jimmy wants to protect his son from Shawn and the rest of the movie is about the rest of the night with a deadly chase on.  (Did you follow that? The rest of the plot is no less convoluted!) Neeson is his usual self, playing (again) a man who has a history of violence, which he’s left behind, being forced to use his skills to protect someone. It’s a common plot line but the relationship between the two main protagonists adds a nice dimension to the story.  And Ed Harris, looking aged and rugged, brings an emotional intensity to his role. It’s fast paced and violent with no great depth. But it’s a slight cut above Neeson’s TAKEN movies.