Run All Night… while it sounds like a Lionel Richie song, this mobster man-on-the-run thriller deserves to be taken Harvey Keitel seriously. It definitely would’ve got more street cred with a movie title like “Sins of our Fathers”, but it does have a Die Hard affinity, which makes it a bit of an in-betweener.

Run All Night is the third outing for director Jaume Collet-Serra and Liam Neeson after Unknown and Non-Stop. While it didn’t live up to its potential, Unknown was swept under the Taken rug and despite being another over-60 actioner, Non-Stop managed to live up to its name as a tense in-flight thriller.

Once, twice, three times seems to be the magic number as the director-actor duo have found their stride with a tense, well-paced action thriller about a mobster hit man, who has to decide between his estranged son and his longtime best friend and mob boss.

Neeson’s played the former top dog and tough guy many times before and it’s getting Clint Eastwood old. Instead of churning out another typical Neeson actioner, Run All Night adds another dramatic layer, making Neeson more vulnerable opposite his “I wasn’t there for him” son, played by current Robocop Joel Kinnaman, and his BFF, played by the always considerable Ed Harris.

“So, what you’re trying to say is that this bromance has no future?”

The rich performances are the glue that holds Run All Night together between the intense car chases and shoot outs. Conlon is a man of regrets with nothing to show for his life of crime, besides notoriety and an ability to squeeze out of convictions. When his son’s life is put in danger, he shows up like a long lost bodyguard as they try to put their differences aside in order to stay alive.

At times, it functions like a buddy movie, delivering man-on-the-run thrills driven by a personal vendetta in a dangerous city rife with corruption. The wry comedy fits the atmosphere and Collet-Serra keeps us on edge with the unexpected, putting Conlon up against the mob, bent cops, a beleagured detective and a clinical next generation hitman.

A strong cast, full performances and an emotionally resonant story line, contribute to a taut balancing act, managing to ensnare the excitement of a slick man-on-the-run action thriller with the gravity of a multi-generational crime drama. While you’ve seen it all before, this concoction is fresh, earnest and emotive enough to entertain and sustain.

The bottom line: Gripping

Release date: 17 April, 2015
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