The Marksman (2021)

Streaming Services: N/A
Movie Name/Year: The Marksman (2021)
Genre: Action, Thriller
Length: 108 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Production/Distribution: Cutting Edge Group, Raven Capital Management, Sculptor Media, Stonehouse Motion Pictures, Zero Gravity Management, Voltage Pictures, GEM Entertainment, Leonine Distribution, Madman Films, Open Road Entertainment, Ascot Elite Entertainment Group, Front Row Filmed Entertainment, Kyyba Films, Madman Entertainment, The Searchers
Director: Robert Lorenz
Writer: Chris Charles, Danny Kravitz, Robert Lorenz
Actors: Jacob Perez, Teresa Ruiz, Alfredo Quiroz, Sean A. Rosales, Jose Vasquez, Juan Pablo Raba, Antonio Leyba, Liam Neeson, Alex Knight, Dylan Kenin, Katheryn Winnick, David DeLao, Yediel Quiles, Amber Midthunder
 
Blurb from IMDb: 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.
 

Selina’s Point of View:
I may start avoiding Liam Neeson films.
 
Don’t get me wrong, Neeson is a great actor – especially in the parts that he keeps being cast in. The problem is that there is only so many ways I can write about him playing a man with a special set of skills set to inflict violence upon an antagonist. It’s just not fun to write about and, honestly, I’m not sure anyone needs to read it.
 
General audiences, who only see a Liam Neeson film once in a while, will almost always like it. Those films tend to be action-packed and, like I said, he’s a great actor. Meanwhile, for reviewers who see every film he’s in – which is the same thing every other month – will usually dislike it, because it’s basic and we know it.
 

Going into The Marksman, I knew what I was going to get, and I got it. That’s all there really is to it.
 
The script felt lazy. Like it was written just to type-cast Neeson into. It also felt mis-titled. He only uses the sniper rifle a couple of times, and it never really enters into the narrative that he was actually a marksman when he was a Marine. Which leads me to another problem.
 
The writers asked for a LOT where suspension of disbelief is concerned. I think they relied too heavily on audiences not personally knowing any Marines.
 
They expected me to believe that a highly decorated, and war-hardened, Marine veteran – living in a dangerous zone – would not have a go bag. They also expected me to believe the same veteran, with access to cash, would not ditch his credit card or vehicle while he was being hunted.
 

I’m sorry, no.
 
I can suspend disbelief for a LOT of bullshit, but I know too many Marines. None of that checks out.
 
The ending tried to give us something significant to hold onto, something poignant. Unfortunately, it came so late in the game that it changed nothing. It even felt unbelievable.
 
This is not a film I would recommend. Once it makes its way to streaming, if you need some brainless Neeson action – then go for it. But don’t waste your money before then.
  

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 34%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 86%
Metascore – 44/100 
Metacritic User Score – 6.8/10
IMDB Score – 6.0/10 
 
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 3/5
 
Movie Trailer: