Cinephile № 865 “The Marksmen”

Recommendation: 3/5 STREAM

Plot: “A rancher on the Arizona border becomes the unlikely defender of a young Mexican boy desperately fleeing the cartel assassins who’ve pursued him into the U.S.” -IMDB

Review: We are in an interesting place in American cinema. Arguably, the two biggest action stars in the world are a former wrestler and a 68-year-old man. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s trajectory does not surprise me. Liam Neeson’s selection of characters who are loners possessing a special skill and an unwavering sense of justice is something that continues to surprises me. The man can act. “Schindler’s List” is Exhibit A of his abilities and he does seem to bring the best version of himself to each of his latest roles. Still, I cannot help but think we have gotten to the point in Liam’s career where we are just making a copy of a quickly fading photocopy.

“The Marksmen,” for its part, has before it the impossible task of telling a story about the U.S.-Mexican border. This is a political minefield with strong opinions resonating from both political parties and both sides of the border. Though, doing our shared border justice is not an impossible feat. The brilliance of “Sicario” and “Traffic” are two examples that come to mind. This film jumps into the debate feet first as Neeson’s character, Jim, is found patrolling his land for people…