Blacklight

Here is an interesting case study: get yourself a star--even one who is a little long in the tooth--surround him with a mostly no-name cast, and put everything together through the efforts of a no-name crew of director, writers and assorted others, and you too can make a credible action flick. It will help immensely if your unknowns bring some amount of moviemaking knowledge to the task, and in this one we see enough stylish camera work, good pacing, and overall solid sense of storytelling to render this crew worthy of respect for their efforts. Mostly, however, the strength of this piece comes from Liam Neeson doing his typical thing, being that guy you root for to succeed despite the obvious overwhelming odds stacked against him. Actually, the finest moments in the movie come when Neeson's character is interacting with the girl who plays his granddaughter; it’s like watching a kid having a ball playing around an old stump. Very charming. Also worth noting is that this marks the second straight movie starring Neeson that features a notably liberal point of view on political issues; seems like the old guy is interested in leaving a kinder legacy, even in the midst of the ass-kicking. All in all, we get a straightforward and surprisingly watchable, if not particularly memorable, action flick, one that serves notice that, maybe just maybe, this moviemaking thing is not as complicated as it seems--since apparently anyone can do it with relatively decent results. Just make sure you have at least one person involved who has some real stature.