Liam Neeson may be one of Hollywood’s most recognizable leading men, but he almost made audiences cheer another way. The 6’4″ actor started his career as a teenaged boxer in Ireland before a black out in the ring caused him to pursue other careers: first as a teacher, and then as an actor. The acting really seems to have paid off, hasn’t it?
Related: Download the Free B-Movies Commentary Track for ‘Taken’
Liam Neeson has been acting steadily since the 1970s – his first major gig was in John Boorman’s 1981 King Arthur epic Excalibur – but he didn’t find acclaim until his late 30s/early 40s, when starring roles in films like Darkman and Schindler’s List made him a recognizable commodity to studios looking for a tall, lanky, gravel-voiced leading man. His career wouldn’t even take a specific direction until the 2000s; before then he worked as a respectable dramatic actor (Michael Collins, Nell), an occasional action star (Rob Roy, The Phantom Menace) and sometimes as the straight man in mostly forgotten comedies (Leap of Faith, High Spirits).
Related: The Essential Al Pacino: 17 Must-See Films
But the Liam Neeson audiences came to fully embrace was born relatively recently: a grizzled father figure, a stoic action star, a weary man of the law drawn into situations worthy of putting on film. He began taking parts of sweeping authority – Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia, Zeus in Clash of the Titans – and headlining unexpected smash hits like Taken, a crowd-pleasingly fascistic tale of an American tearing through Europe, torturing his way to preserving a wholesome family unit.
Now, casting Liam Neeson is practically a shorthand. He has reached full-on movie star status, playing variations on the person audiences perceive him as: the elder statesman, the hero, the badass. He can elevate dunderheaded potboilers like Non-Stop into modest hits, and he might just do the same for A Walk Among the Tombstones, this weekend’s new release which casts Neeson as a grizzled former detective drawn into an illicit kidnapping investigation. It’s not a great film, but Liam Neeson Liam Neesons his way through it, bringing credibility to a story that perhaps doesn’t deserve much of it.
Related: The Essential Harrison Ford: 15 Must-See Films
CraveOnline, like the rest of the world, is a huge fan of Liam Neeson. Liam Neeson the actor, Liam Neeson the action star, Liam Neeson the icon. But if you want to call yourself a real Liam Neeson fan you need to be familiar with all of his best work, not just the recent action thrillers. Here we present The Essential Liam Neeson: 12 Must-See Films to prove your fandom for one of the biggest badasses on the screen today.
Have you seen them all? Did we miss any? Let us know…
Slideshow: The Essential Liam Neeson – 12 Must-See Films
William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and the host of The B-Movies Podcast and The Blue Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
The Essential Liam Neeson: 12 Must-See Movies
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Excalibur (1981)
John Boorman's handsome adaptation of the King Arthur legends remains one of the best on record - violent, sensual, magical and uncompromising - and it boasts feature film debut of Liam Neeson. He plays Gawain, a knight seduced by the witch Morgana (Helen Mirren) into accusing Queen Guinevere of schtupping Sir Lancelot, and he's equal parts pathetic and threatening.
Did You Know...?
Liam Neeson claims to have fallen in love with Helen Mirren while they were making Excalibur.
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Darkman (1990)
A decade he directed Spider-Man, Sam Raimi cast Liam Neeson as a superhero with no face who uses cutting edge science to get revenge on the gangsters who ruined his life. Neeson is unusually playful in the role, but he also brings a gothic tragedy to a film that's sometimes ridiculous, sometimes disturbing, and always a lot of fun.
Did You Know...?
Sam Raimi wanted to cast his Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell as Darkman, but the studio wouldn't let him.
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Husbands and Wives (1992)
One of Woody Allen's best, Husbands and Wives is experimentally edited saga of two married relationships - one recently ended, one on the verge of collapse - and the new lovers they bring into their lives. Neeson plays a hapless hunk whom the married Mia Farrow convinces her newly divorced friend Judy Davis to sleep with, even though the passive-aggressive Farrow clearly wants him for herself. He's a pawn in a game he doesn't know is being played, and he's never been more charming.
Did You Know...?
The news of Woody Allen's breakup with Husbands and Wives co-star Mia Farrow arrived while Liam Neeson and Judy Davis were shooting their sex scene.
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Schindler's List (1993)
Liam Neeson received his first - and only - Oscar nomination for starring in Schindler's List, Steven Spielberg's blockbuster epic about a German who saved 12,000 Jews from the concentration camps in World War II. Neeson plays the part with grim resolve, only letting his emotions out during a finale that leads many to tears, and some to wonder if he overdid it a bit at the end.
Did You Know...?
Liam Neeson was originally going to reunite with Steven Spielberg to star in Lincoln (2012), but by the time the film went into development Neeson felt he was too old to play the 16th President of the United States.
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Rob Roy (1995)
A rousing adventure film if ever there was one, Rob Roy stars Liam Neeson as a heroic highlander turned outlaw after a dastardly dandy (Tim Roth) steals $1,000 pounds on loan to the hero from an English nobleman. Neeson is a stalwart, principled hero who will go to unthinkable lengths when backed into a corner, as proven in the final sword fight, which is still one of the best ever filmed.
Did You Know...?
Rob Roy takes some serious liberties with history. It's even been claimed that Rob Roy stole the money himself!
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Kinsey (2004)
Liam Neeson plays controversial sex researcher Alfred Kinsey in Bill Condon's acclaimed biopic, which illustrates the complex emotional consequences Kinsey's research had on his marriage, and those of his colleagues. On paper human sexuality is a science, in practice it's a sticky affair. Neeson and a stellar supporting cast capture both sides beautifully.
Did You Know...?
The filmmakers accidentally thanked University of Indiana in the closing credits of Kinsey. In reality, Alfred Kinsey was affiliated with Indiana University.
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Batman Begins (2005)
Batman is one of the most iconic figures in modern literature, and arguably the most capable fictional character ever created. Who do you cast as the man who taught him everything? Liam Neeson, a tragic and villainous figure whose unflappable, morally iffy code drives Christopher Nolan's first, classic entry of the Dark Knight trilogy.
Did You Know...?
At 6'4" Liam Neeson was so much taller than the League of Shadows ninjas that they all had to stand on boxes while shooting their scenes with him.
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The Chronicles of Narnia (2005-2010)
Liam Neeson brought his characteristic growl to literature's most beloved lion in three successful adaptations of C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. The size of his role varies from film to film (he's barely in The Voyage of the Dawntreader), but Neeson's kingly vocal performance lends much needed weight to the Christlike Aslan.
Did You Know...?
Brian Cox and Gerard Butler were both originally cast as Aslan before Liam Neeson replaced them.
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Ponyo (2008)
One of the strangest films ever to come out of Studio Ghibli, Ponyo tells the story of a fish who falls in love with a pre-teen boy, becomes obsessed with ham and leads her human father - played by Liam Neeson - on a quest to prevent her from dooming the world in the process. Director Hayao Miyazaki's animation is some of the most beautiful ever filmed, and Liam Neeson has never been quirkier (at least, with this much success), but dang... Ponyo is a weird one.
Did You Know...?
Hayao Miyazaki originally wanted to make a sequel to Ponyo, but was convinced by producer Toshio Suzuki to direct The Wind Rises instead. Miyazaki now claims that The Wind Rises will be his last film.
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Taken (2008)
The unexpected smash hit Taken stars Liam Neeson as the living embodiment of every first husband: the job he put ahead of his family, driving them into the arms of another, winds up saving them all after his daughter is kidnapped because she didn't listen to his advice. The morals are sketchy, but the no-nonsense direction by Pierre Morel - and a captivating, intense performance by Neeson - turns Taken into one of the grittiest, most satisfying thrillers of the 21st century.
Did You Know...?
Before it became a blockbuster, expectations for Taken were so low that Liam Neeson says he assumed it would go straight to video.
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The A-Team (2010)
Joe Carnahan's gloriously overloaded adaptation of the hit 1980's TV series is the right kind of ridiculous. The cast - particularly Neeson, Bradley Cooper and Sharlto Copley - is having a ball, and the action sequences are so flipping ludicrous you're left with no other choice than to turn off your brain and have fun. They fly a tank, damn it. There's nothing that isn't cool about that.
Did You Know...?
Liam Neeson was a former smoker at the time of production, even though his character, Hannibal, smokes cigars throughout the film.
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The Grey (2011)
Liam Neeson reunited with A-Team writer/director Joe Carnahan for the polar opposite movie: a dark and disturbing action thriller about a group of men trapped in the Yukon, surrounded by man-eating wolves. The Grey is a futile, despairing motion picture about the fragility of manhood, and the need to keep fighting in the face of utter hopelessness. It's a powerful film, even though it doesn't quite understand how real wolves actually behave.
Did You Know...?
Liam Neeson ate wolf jerky to prepare for his role in The Grey. We have no idea why that was necessary.
