Marketing for a film can sometimes make or break a movie. It sounds so silly to say but a good marketing campaign is everything. Take Deadpool a couple of years ago. Here was a film that was initially tossed around in the offices of executives for years. They didn’t exactly know if the general population would want a movie featuring the merc with a mouth. Then the famous leak happened and the internet was set ablaze. That’s not even marketing the film yet; that is solely building the anticipation for it. The actual marketing got creative with 12 Days of Deadpool, which featured Ryan Reynolds showing glimpses, character designs, and more until the big reveal of the first trailer. Let’s not forget about the posters that accompanied the first film. Brilliant in every sense of the word.
Then you can have terrible marketing. This can cause films to fly under the radar. Case in point was one of my favorite films of last year in Yellow Rose. Here was a movie that was marketed as a western version of A Star is Born. The actual film is nowhere close to that. In fact, the entire concept revolving around the main character and her love for country was more of a subplot than anything else. The actual film was a tale of separation anxiety between a mother and daughter when politics get involved. So many people missed out on a great film because of its improper marketing.
Such would be the case for the new Liam Neeson film, The Marksmen. Even the title feels like false advertising. The film depicts Neeson portraying a veteran turned cattle farmer who stumbles upon a young boy (Jacob Perez) on the road to be with his family. The young boy’s mother dies in the process and Neeson embarks on a road trip to get the boy to his family. Only it’s not that simple. He’s also on the run from a Mexican cartel out for revenge. By this point in popular culture, we are thirteen years removed from one of Neeson’s most iconic roles in Taken. For some reason it still feels like a large number of selling points for this movie has to be him doing something action-packed. For those who came to this film believing they were walking into a revenge, car chase, action-packed two hours - I’m sorry to disappoint.
The cartel angle of the story poorly places this film within the action genre. It equally makes the antagonistic element stereotypical and forgettable. Juan Pablo Raba plays Maurico, the film’s villain, and he feels wasted, demeaned to nothing more than both a stock Latinx character and gangster stereotype. There are genuine moments where Raba shows that he can bring some depth and emotion to the character, but the script never lets him move on past those stereotypes. It’s frustrating and disgusting. Neeson is handled almost the exact same way. He’s a man who has everything taken from him. Sound familiar? Neeson just feels stereotyped within this movie. The action feels like unnecessary violence.
The very heartbeat of this movie is the relationship between Neeson and Perez. Their relationship mirrors that of Logan’s Hugh Jackman and Dafne Keen. Yes, there is a language barrier and unfortunate circumstances in the beginning. Eventually those don’t matter and the hearts of both stories collide for a rather compelling drama. Loss is such a predominant theme throughout the movie. It is the linchpin that holds their relationship together and equally holds the film together. I wish the movie would have featured more of their relationship. Once the film steps outside of that it becomes a messy movie.
The narrative of The Marksmen isn’t the easiest to explain to someone. Likewise, the character motivations constantly reflect this. There is a subplot introduced within the second act where Neeson is going to take Perez back to where he found him. Then he’s not, then he changes his mind again, and it continues flip flopping a few more times. It feels as if the screenwriters were attempting to make the movie longer than it actually was. Perhaps the most baffling thing about these changes is they are brought on by strangers. Characters that basically exist exclusively to divert the plot again. Character motivations live and die by strangers in The Marksmen.
Overall, The Marksmen doesn’t just miss good entertainment, it’s nowhere close to the range. There are characters reduced to stereotypes and typecasting. Character motivations bounce back and forth depending on where the narrative is in that moment. The action feels forced and the overall plot is just boring. The relationship between Liam Neeson and Jacob Perez is the only reason this movie is worth checking out. Their bond creates life in an otherwise dead movie. The Marksmen is a mishandled action movie that glosses over its best features in hopes of being an independent Taken.
RORSHACH RATING:
Mental Health Moment: I will confess I had given up on Liam Neeson movies for a while now. I miss the days of Schiendler’s List but also enjoy his turns of comedy like Kinsey and The Lego Movie. He’s just gotten so typecast as the Taken guy that his movies all blur together at this point. I had just seen a poster for this movie and decided to give it a chance. As I have said in the review, the typecasting and stereotyping is a real thing in this movie.
I feel like sometimes there are those of us that are scared to be vulnerable and discuss what it is we’re going through. We don’t want to embrace those stereotypes or fall into a reputation. You’re so much more than what someone thinks about you now or what someone could think of you for sharing your vulnerability. It takes courage. It takes bravery to stand up and ask for help. I know that it is largely our campaign here to deconstruct stigma. It’s okay not to be okay. I just want to encourage anyone going through this stuff to reach out and/or check out our resources.
If you or someone you know is reading this right now and struggling with suicide, depression, addiction, or self-harm - please reach out. Comment, message, or tweet at us. Go to victimsandvillains.net/hope for more resources. Call the suicide lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Text "HELP" to 741-741. There is hope & you DO have so much value and worth!
Victims and Villains is written (and produced) by Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey and others, and edited by Cam Smith. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. The Marksmen is property of Open Road Films. We do not own nor claim any rights.
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