Blacklight

 

Blacklight
Starring Liam Neeson, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Taylor John Smith, Aidan Quinn
Directed by Mark Williams

It wouldn't be a year without Liam Neeson playing an aged action hero who operates under a particular set of skills, most of which involves him talking in gruff voices about his family and involving himself in epic explosions, car chases, and gunfights. "Taken" was a groundbreaking piece of work for the veteran actor, one that re-vitalized his career and spearheaded a new subgenre of film: the "Neeson-Taken-Skillset" (I just made that up, and I must admit it's pretty awful, but I feel like I put more thought into that than the writers did for this film). Ever since "Taken," Neeson has played the same type of character with varying success: from the rather decent ("Non-Stop," "The Commuter") to the so-so ("Cold Pursuit," "A Walk Among the Tombstones"), to the downright silly and stupid ("The Ice Road," "Honest Thief"). "Blacklight" falls somewhere between the so-so and downright silly, a film that's serious enough to keep your attention, but filled with every action cliche in the book that you can't help but chuckle at the idiocy of it all.

When an up-and-coming political activist is murdered, a major coverup begins, but for undercover FBI agent Travis Block (Liam Neeson), it doesn't even land in his radar: he's too busy helping getting regular FBI agents out of jams using improvised explosives and coercion. Yet the story will land on his lap when another FBI agent, Dusty Crane (Taylor John Smith), goes rogue and threatens to expose the FBI for the murder of the activist, as well as the murders of other innocent civilians who could've been whistleblowers for the bureau, run by Travis's friend Gabriel Robinson (Aidan Quinn). Dusty wants to tell his story to the media through reporter Mira Jones (Emmy Raver-Lampman), but is pursued by Travis, who believes that the FBI isn't corrupt and doesn't know the whole story - and he just wants to retire and spend time with his granddaughter, while dealing with his obsessive compulsive disorder. Soon he finds the truth and works with them to bring down his former friend, putting not just his life - but the lives of his family - at risk.

Basically "Blacklight" is a conglomerate of every direct-to-streaming action film ever made, and you can literally keep a checklist and by the end of the film each box will have a fresh "x" in it:
[X] an older professional federal agent who exudes a particular skill set
[X] said older professional federal agent struggles with a mental disorder (OCD, etc) that both hinders his real life but helps his professional life
[X] federal agent has an estranged family that he wishes he could get closer to
[X] massive government coverup
[X] former friend becomes main adversary
[X] reporter gets in over her head and must help the agent to uncover the truth
[X] a car chase scene
[X] explosions
[X] epic shootouts
[X] using improvised weapons to overcome enemy
[X] federal agent's estranged family is threatened
[X] federal agent learns that he might not be the good guy, and the government he thinks is good is actually corrupt

There's no point in giving spoilers because the entire film is a spoiler: it follows the formula to a T, and doesn't deviate in any fashion. If you've seen one action film in your entire life, you know every turn "Blacklight" (which, by the way, is a stupid name for a movie because there's not an actual blacklight even used) delivers. It's a surprise that it got a major theatrical release and not a direct-to-Redbox exclusive (although maybe it's because Bruce Willis has a monopoly in that area). Regardless, while the film isn't amazing by any stretch of the imagination, at least it's got some somewhat decent performances that makes it bearable to watch (unlike "The Ice Road," which...no). So, in a way, "Blacklight" struggles in the fact that it's not amazing to be memorable, nor terrible to be memorable as well, but instead falls in the so-so middle where if you're given a quiz based off Liam Neeson's action films, you'll get this confused with his other mediocre work.

Speaking of Liam Neeson, you can tell in his eyes that he just doesn't want to do this anymore, but either they have some dirt on him, or they somehow find the funds to pay his extravagant lifestyle, because he once again returns to the genre that re-vitalized his career. Neeson sleepwalks through his performance but provides just enough charisma to make it bearable, if only for one viewing in your life before having it on the background in your home while you're cleaning as it's being shown on basic cable, for those of you who still have it. The other performers are about as excited as Neeson is to do this project, and it leaves you just as "excited" to remember it - that's sarcasm, you won't remember a thing about it a few days after watching it, if you so wish to waste almost two hours of your life.

Offering another mediocre action film, Liam Neeson's "Blacklight" fails to exist in your memory bank after the credits roll, but at least it's not as bad as some of his other work.

The Score: D+