Blacklight

Directed by Mark Williams

★

The latest Bruce Willis Liam Neeson thriller, Blacklight, is the most tepid of his recent boorish descent into quickly produced, low-budget action mediocrity. And, boy oh boy, is this a stinky pile of crap.

The film follows Neeson’s Travis Block, a “shadowy” non-employee of the government, as he tries to right some wrongs from his past and produce a more promising future for his granddaughter. While this may sound bland, the plot isn’t significantly different from many films of this type that aren’t inherently bad. However, what makes Blacklight stand out in such a negative manner, is the sheer apathy towards its filmmaking that looms over every scene. Gone is the element of joy derived from the stupidity and unlikeliness of a nearly seventy year-old man dodging bullets and chasing down ‘punks’ nearly half his age, instead we are left with a film that simultaneously takes itself too seriously and also doesn’t seem to care about its stars or audience at all.

Neeson seems to at least be having a bit of fun, not yet completely delving into the waters of Willis’ incredulity. Unfortunately, he is surrounded by a group of actors that seem to be having a cold read on camera (with the exception of Aidan Quinn) and a director that probably spent more time checking his watch than the dailies.

All in all, Blacklight is better off left alone, not worth your money nor your time.