Liam Neeson Movies
Standing a burly 6'4", Liam Neeson was once described by a theatre critic as a "towering sequoia of sex." To say that he has undeniable charisma is certainly accurate, but it is a charisma composed as much of impressive talent as of broken-nosed physical appeal. Bearing both versatility and quiet forcefulness, Neeson has been touted as one of the most compelling actors of the late 20th century.Born June 7, 1952, in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, Neeson had an upbringing partially defined by his involvement in boxing. He became active in the sport as a teenager, earning his distinctive broken nose in the process; he stayed with boxing until he began experiencing black-outs from repeated blows to the head. Initially interested in a career as a teacher, Neeson attended Belfast's Queens College, but he aborted his studies after developing a desire to act. In 1976, he joined Belfast's Lyric Theatre, and two years later he began performing the classics at Dublin's famed Abbey Theatre. While he was with the Abbey, Neeson was discovered by director John Boorman, who cast him as Gawain in 1981's Excalibur. Following his part in that action fantasy, Neeson had supporting roles in such films as The Mission (1986), and he was featured in leads opposite Cher in Suspect (1987) and Diane Keaton in The Good Mother (1988).
He got his first starring vehicle in 1990 with Sam Raimi's Darkman; unfortunately, the film was a relative disappointment. Neeson continued to do starring work in such films as Big Man (1991), which featured him as a boxer, Ethan Frome (1992), and Under Suspicion (1992), but ironically, it was his work on the stage that led to his true screen breakthrough. In 1992, the actor was turning in a Tony-nominated performance in Anna Christie opposite Natasha Richardson (whom he would marry in 1994) on Broadway. His work attracted the notice of Steven Spielberg, who was so impressed with what he saw that he cast Neeson as Oskar Schindler in his landmark Holocaust drama Schindler's List (1993). Neeson received Best Actor Oscar and British Academy Award nominations for his performance, and he subsequently didn't have to worry about finding work in Hollywood, or elsewhere, again.
More high-profile work followed for Neeson, who went on to star in such films as Nell (1994), Rob Roy (1995), and Michael Collins (1996). However acclaimed his previous work had been, none of it received the hype of one of Neeson's 1999 projects, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Although the film, which starred Neeson as a Jedi master, ultimately earned a galaxy's worth of negative reviews, it mined box office millions. Its success further enhanced Neeson's status as one of the world's most visible actors, and it even helped to downplay the disappointment of The Haunting, his other film that year. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- 1986
- R
Julie Andrews delivers a virtuoso dramatic performance in Duet for One. Based on a play by Tom Kempinski, the story concerns brilliant concert violinist Stephanie Anderson (Andrews) who is slowly succumbing to the ravages of multiple sclerosis. Stephanie's problems are compounded by her cheating husband David Cornwallis (Alan Bates), and her protégé Constantine Kassanis (Rupert Everett), who shows signs of "selling out" to popular entertainment. Max von Sydow, who previously co-starred with Andrews in Hawaii, plays psychiatrist Dr. Louis Feldman, who tries to help Stephanie cope with her debilitations, but who ends up as much an albatross around her neck as David and Constantine. Critics are still divided over whether or not the mystical sequences between Andrews and the ghost of her violin teacher (Sigfrit Steiner) truly work within the context of the plotline. Duet for One was the third English-language production for Russian filmmaker Andrei Konchalovsky. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Andrews, Alan Bates, (more)
This television mini-series sequel to A Woman of Substance finds aging businesswoman Emma Harte (Deborah Kerr) preparing to hand over her empire to granddaughter Paula Fairley (Jenny Seagrave), much to the dismay of the rest of the family. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
Michael Lamb (Liam Neeson) is a member of the Christian Brotherhood, working as a teacher in a private special-ed school in Ireland. Having recently endured the loss of his father, Lamb befriends a young, epileptic student. The wicked behavior of unscrupulous brother superior Ian Bannen compels Lamb to head to London, accompanied by the boy. The ironic climax finds the lad losing his life as an indirect result of Lamb's kindness. Based on a novel by Bernard McLaverty, Lamb is graced with a compelling musical score by rock star Van Morrison. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liam Neeson, Ian Bannen, (more)
- 1985
Originally filmed in 1982, Arthur the King wasn't able to secure a network-TV berth until April 26, 1985. Malcolm McDowell plays good King Arthur, whose dream of Camelot is endangered by the evil Morgan Le Fay, played by Candice Bergen in her TV-movie debut. That this might have been intended as the pilot for a weekly series is evidenced by the otherwise pointless inclusion of Dyan Cannon, cast as a ditzy 20th- Century tourist who falls through a time warp while roaming around Stonehenge. You'll want to see Arthur the King if only to find out why minor-player Miro Pfeiffer's character name is "Undead Knight". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
- R
This densely-packed film is based on a book by Tom Hart about the struggles of a young Yorkshire boy trying to come to grips with squabbling parents, a doctor who wants to institutionalize him because of his epilepsy, and a mother who refuses to accept that he is different in any way -- and that is only the half of it. The boy, Tim (Andrew Hawley), also acts as a go-between for his friend Carns (Liam Neeson) who is having an affair with a married woman (Miranda Richardson). Eventually, things start to sort themselves out, and Tim sees life getting more interesting when he and his friend Win (Kate Foster) slowly get a relationship going. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Bell, Liam Neeson, (more)
This fourth film dramatization of the 1789 mutiny aboard the H.M.S. Bounty is based not on the familiar Nordhoff and Hall book, but on Richard Hough's novel Captain Bligh and Mr. Christian. This time, the infamous Captain Bligh (Anthony Hopkins) is as strict a disciplinarian as ever. He is, however, no monster; faced with his crew's increasing laxity after an idyllic visit to Tahiti (the search for breadfruit takes second place to limitless sex with the island girls), Bligh is forced to resort to flogging and other such means to keep his men in line. Mr. Christian (Mel Gibson), formerly Bligh's friend, is of little use to the captain, having fallen in love with a native girl himself. Christian becomes the leader of the mutiny virtually in spite of himself; and when the mutineers try to seek refuge on Tahiti, they find that the local chief wants no part of them, which is why they settle for the nearly uninhabitable Pitcairn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mel Gibson, Anthony Hopkins, (more)
The made-for-television adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford's A Woman of Substance stars Jenny Seagrove as Emma Harte, a character who grows from maid to internationally feared and respected businesswoman. The all-star cast includes Liam Neeson, Deborah Kerr, and Barry Bostwick. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 1984
"Fighting for the Dream" was the third and final installment of the six-hour TV miniseries A Woman of Substance (see separate entries for information of episode one, "Nest of Vipers", and episode two "The Secret is Revealed."). Expanding her business activities beyond the small town of Leeds, former serving girl Emma Hart (Jenny Seagrove) seeks vengeance on the aristocratic family that has wronged her. She also falls in love with handsome Major Paul McGill (Barry Bostwick). When last we see Emma, she is played by Deborah Kerr, who was Emmy-nominated for her performance. When it was first syndicated to local TV stations on November 26, 1984, A Woman of Substance was also offered in a two-part version, each episode running three hours. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
The second chapter of the six-hour TV miniseries A Woman of Substance was subtitled "The Secret is Revealed" (see separate entry for episode one, A Woman of Substance: Nest of Vipers). After losing her job due to a romantic entanglement with her employer's son, Emma Hart (Jenny Seagrove) heads to Leeds, where she starts a small business. Her enterprise blossoms beyond her wildest dreams, and by episode's end Emma is the wealthiest woman in the region. This sets us up for Episode Three, wherein the role of Emma is taken over by Deborah Kerr. The official premiere date of "The Secret is Revealed" was December 3, 1984, though some local stations ran the episode a week earlier. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
A Woman of Substance is a six-hour TV miniseries, based on the best-selling novel by Barbara Taylor Bradford. This story of a British servant girl who, through sheer force of will, becomes one of the world's most powerful women, stars Jenny Seagrove as Emma Hart from age 15 to 49, and Deborah Kerr as Emma from 50 to 79 (curiously, Kerr was Emmy-nominated for her work, while Seagrove, who had the more difficult assignment, was not). Part one of Woman of Substance was subtitled "Nest of Vipers." Here we find Emma discharged from her job after a desultory affair with her employer's son (Peter Chelsolm). A Woman of Substance was syndicated to local TV stations beginning on November 26, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Meant to be a whimsical sword-and-sorcery film about a prince out to save his princess from the jaws of the Beast, Krull has enough scenes borrowed from blockbuster predecessors (Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Robin Hood, Star Wars) and is gentle enough to be rather derivative, ordinary fare. Prince Colwyn (Ken Marshall) has inherited a kingdom under siege by the evil Beast, and not only has to rid the land of the monster, but he has to rescue his bride Lyssa (Lysette Anthony) from the Beast's clutches as well. In his magical land, horses can sometimes fly, medieval castles can harbor weapons that light up, and before he can defeat the Beast, the prince has to get his hands on the glaive (French for "double-edged sword"), a razor-sharp, magical weapon capable of killing the monster. One of the more notable aspects of Krull is that a 30-year old Liam Neeson plays the bit part of Kegan, in only his third full-length feature film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Marshall, Lysette Anthony, (more)
- 1983
The seven-hour TV miniseries Ellis Island was adapted from a novel by Fred Mustard Stewart. Per its title, the film is a mosaic of subplots involving several European immigrants who passed through New York's Ellis Island before taking up residence in the Big Apple. Most of the characters are based on real people, notably the Irving Berlin-like musician played by Peter Riegert. Co-stars Faye Dunaway, Richard Burton (in his last film role) and Ann Jillian were honored with Emmy nominations. Ironically, this essentially American saga was largely filmed in London. Originally telecast November 11, 13, and 14, 1984, Ellis Island was re-edited and re-telecast in the summer of 1986, just in time for the Statue of Liberty Centennial. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
John Boorman directed this gloriously savage interpretation of Arthurian legend loosely based on Thomas Malory's novel Le Morte d'Arthur. By turns gleaming and filthy, tender and bloody, the film is a visually stunning epic which is never less than compelling. Nigel Terry is perfectly cast as Arthur, whose unwavering trust and faith are shown to be both quietly heroic and achingly naïve. Interestingly, the quest for the Grail is the least effective part of the film, despite bold cinematography by Alex Thomson (who was nominated for an Oscar) and a fine performance by Paul Geoffrey as Perceval, whose greatest desire is attained in his dying sight. It is the scenes of Camelot in which Boorman is at his most effective, as Arthur is betrayed by the burning passions of Guenevere (Cherie Lunghi) and Lancelot (Nicholas Clay), whose boiling internal forces cannot be denied, whatever the cost. The wicked Mordred (Robert Addie) and Morgana (Helen Mirren) are commanding when onscreen, and Nicol Williamson's performance as the grandiosely self-sacrificing Merlin is outstanding. Liam Neeson and Patrick Stewart also appear in this dense, passionate, and stirring triumph featuring a marvelous Trevor Jones score. The gruesome effects by Peter Hutchinson and Alan Whibley, however, and sights such as a knight having sex in full body armor make this a fairy tale strictly for adults. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nigel Terry, Nicol Williamson, (more)
In this sequel to "Pilgrim's Progress" the wife of the Pilgrim and her children look for the Celestial city. The trials and obstacles they encounter during their quest serves to make them stronger. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
