Liam Neeson to retire? Here are 3 of his greatest action movies

Liam Neeson has said he plans to retire in an interview with People magazine. It’s the end of an era.

He’s not giving up acting altogether, mind, just the breed of action flicks that have made him a somewhat unlikely action hero.

And it was age that made him “unlikely” in the first place. 2008’s Taken became a phenomenon that spawned not just a pair of sequels but a very specific genre, the Liam Neeson action film.

And, with Liam Neeson having turned 72 this June, it looks like that genre is coming to an end. Well, after Run All Night 2, Ice Road 2, Absolution and The Mongoose, which are currently in the works. And maybe a few more for good measure.

Liam Neeson has made a whole heap of action films. Plenty of them aren’t any good. But here are three we think you should revisit. And, no, we haven’t picked Taken as that’s too obvious — it’s available to stream on Disney Plus should you want to see Neeson’s very particular set of skills in use one more time.

Non-Stop (2014)

Runtime: 106 minutes

Liam Neeson plays a US air Marshall in this tense, decade-old thriller. A transatlantic flight is hijacked, and the terrorists are demanding $150 million. Oh, and there’s a bomb on the plane too. While this one didn’t go down a treat with all critics, it’s a taut and tense thrill ride. A blast of a watch. Julianna Moore, Scoot McNairy and Corey Stoll also star.

Cold Pursuit (2019)

Runtime: 119 minutes

Engage revenge mode. Cold Pursuit sees Liam Neeson play Nels Coxman, a snowplough driver in Colorado who hunts down the members of a drug cartel after his son dies from a suspected heroin overdose. Like the best revenge flicks, this one will get your blood pumping. It’s also laced with comedy, and a strangeness you don’t typically see in these often cookie cutter-style Neeson flicks. Don’t confuse it with The Ice Road, from a couple of years later. It’s a stinker.

The Grey (2011)

Runtime: 117 minutes

A candidate for the best Liam Neeson action movie, The Grey sees the big man face off against a pack of wolves. He and a group of oil rig colleagues end up stranded in the Alaskan wilderness following a plane crash. It’s a true survival movie where the native wolves might as well be the grim reaper stalking them across the icy terrain. A mix of the serious Liam Neeson acting chops from his non-action roles with the thrills of the genre stuff.

• The best action films of all time