This is an alright Liam Neeson action/thriller thing. Probably a little better produced and directed than some of them… though maybe a little less interesting overall. I think Neeson needs to take a vacation though… one that doesn’t involve kidnapping, shootings, and muderous gangs.

The Marksman is about a down-on-his-luck rancher living on the US/Mexico border where he has to deal with the occasional illegal immigration (he has no problems reporting them to the authorities). When a woman and her son cross, fleeing from some Cartel members, he takes them under his wing.

This move does sag here and there but is generally pretty solid. My main issue is that I don’t really get why Neesan’s character gets involved (beyond the immediate peril). Oh sure there’s a reason but it doesn’t really match his character at that point in the story. But if he doesn’t get involved, there isn’t a movie. So shrugs to lazy screenwriter, I guess.

With shades of other movies like The Mule and Logan, there’s not a lot original going on here. It just kind of goes along, Neesan does his growly thing, he bonds with the kid… and the cartel gang members do their evil thing. It’s pretty routine. So, yeah, it’s a decent enough watch if you are into this kind of thing.

Score: 74