In Hans Petter Moland’s “Absolution,” Liam Neeson looks exhausted. His character has been beating people up for money for as long as he can remember, and here he is, at it again. The incessant drone of meaningless violence has taken its toll and now he’s just going through the motions. Unfortunately, it looks like Neeson has a similar problem: He’s trapped once again in tired tough guy material, bringing gravity to a film that’s already dragging him — and the audience — down.
Liam Neeson has had a fascinating career, and he’s spent a lot of it balancing mature dramas and action films.