Honest Thief

Last night I went to see Honest Thief, the latest iteration of Liam Neeson portraying a man with a very particular set of skills who exacts revenge against someone who has wronged him.  This time Neeson is Tom Dolan and his very particular skill is demolition with explosives.  Dolan is increasingly disaffected after leaving the military and spends the next several years robbing banks for the adrenaline rush.  Once he meets Annie Wilkins (Kate Walsh), however, he decides that he wants a future with her without the guilt of trying to hide his past so he attempts to turn himself, and the money he has stolen, in to the FBI with the hope of getting a reduced sentence.  Agent Baker (Robert Patrick) and his partner Agent Meyers (Jeffrey Donovan) don't believe him initially because they have had many fake confessions so they send their underlings, Agent Nivens (Jai Courtney) and Agent Hall (Anthony Ramos), to investigate.  To convince them that he is the actual bank robber, Dolan sends the agents to the storage unit where he has hidden the money but Nivens convinces a reluctant Hall to take the money for themselves.  When a suspicious Baker arrives to investigate, Nivens kills him and frames Dolan for the murder.  Dolan goes on the run with Annie, but when she is attacked, he vows revenge against the FBI.  This movie delivers exactly what is expected and I found it to be sufficiently entertaining for a Tuesday night (my screening was absolutely packed by Covid-19 standards).  The story is not very original but Neeson gives it his all in a physically demanding role and Ramos is quite compelling as a conflicted agent who regrets that he didn't do the right thing when he had the chance.  There is a running gag with Agent Meyers and the dog he has inherited after a bitter divorce that seems a little out of place but I found it amusing.  The action sequences, which involve multiple shoot-outs, foot races, car chases, explosions, and lots of hand-to-hand combat, are a lot of fun to watch.  I enjoyed this movie for what it is and I recommend it to fans of action thrillers (or anyone who is bored on a Tuesday night).