The Marksman (2021 film)

The Marksman is a 2021 American action thriller film directed by Robert Lorenz. The plot follows a rancher and former Marine (Liam Neeson) living in an Arizona border town who must help a young boy (Jacob Perez) escape a Mexican drug cartel; Katheryn Winnick, Juan Pablo Raba, Teresa Ruiz also star. The film was theatrically released in the United States on January 15, 2021. It received negative reviews from critics, who praised Neeson's performance but criticized the film as formulaic.[4]

The Marksman
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRobert Lorenz
Produced by
  • Tai Duncan
  • Mark Williams
  • Warren Goz
  • Eric Gold
  • Robert Lorenz
Written by
  • Robert Lorenz
  • Chris Charles
  • Danny Kravitz
Starring
Music bySean Callery
CinematographyMark Patten
Edited byLuis Carballar
Production
company
  • Sculptor Media
  • Zero Gravity Management
  • Stonehouse Motion Pictures
Distributed by
Release date
  • January 15, 2021 (2021-01-15) (United States)
Running time
108 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$23 million[1][2]
Box office$11.6 million[2][3]

Plot

Retired U.S. Marine Jim Hanson lives along the Arizona-Mexico border, reporting attempted illegal crossings. One day while on patrol he encounters Rosa and her son Miguel, Mexican citizens on the run from the cartel. After a shootout with several cartel members led by Maurico, Rosa is killed and Hanson reluctantly agrees to take Miguel to his family in Chicago.

After Hanson uses his credit card to repair his truck, Maurico tracks the pair to Route 66 in Oklahoma. After nearly getting caught and turned over to Maurico by a corrupt police officer, Hanson and Miguel continue to make their way north. Despite Hanson's personal lack of faith, they stop at a church so that Miguel can have a proper send off for Rosa.

Eventually Maurico and his men catch up to Hanson and a firefight breaks out on a nearby farm. Hanson manages to kill three of the cartel members, but Maurico captures Miguel. After a skirmish in which Hanson is stabbed, he manages to get the upper-hand on Maurico, and leaves him with a single bullet in his gun with the choice to kill himself or return home to Mexico; Hanson and Miguel leave the farm as they hear a gunshot.

The pair eventually reach Miguel's family in Chicago, and Hanson boards a city bus and closes his eyes.

Cast

Production

The project, originally titled The Minuteman, was announced in May 2019, with Liam Neeson set to star.[5][6][7][8] In September 2019, it was announced that Winnick and Raba joined the cast of the film.[9][10][11]

Principal photography occurred in Lorain,[12] Portage County,[13][14] and Chardon, Ohio.[15] Filming also occurred in New Mexico,[16][17] and wrapped in October 2019.[18]

Release

The Marksman was initially scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on January 22, 2021, but was later moved up a week to January 15.[19]

Reception

Box office

As of February 7, 2021, The Marksman has grossed $9.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $2.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide of $11.6 million.[3]

The film grossed $3.7 million over the four-day MLK opening weekend, the second Open Road/Neeson title to top the box office during the COVID-19 pandemic after Honest Thief the previous October. The film played best in the South, with men making up 57% of the audience, and 72% being over the age of 25.[20] It remained in first the following weekend with $2.03 million, then made $1.2 million in its third weekend and finished third.[21][22]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 34% based on 71 reviews, with an average rating of 5.1/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "The Marksman benefits from having Liam Neeson in the lead, but this formulaic action thriller should have aimed higher."[4] According to Metacritic, which calculated a weighted average score of 44 out of 100 based on 21 critics, the film received "mixed or average reviews".[23] According to PostTrak, 73% of audience members gave the film a positive score, with 46% saying they would definitely recommend it.[20]

David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave the film a C– and wrote "...The Marksman might be two three-ways short of The Mule, but almost everything about it — from its 'get off my lawn' misanthropy to its general take on the uselessness of government in American life — feels geared for a late-career Eastwood vehicle."[24]

References
  1. Mark Naymik (October 1, 2019). "Filming on Liam Neeson's latest action film spotted in Cleveland and Parma" ("The film incentive program gives companies a 30% rebate on the money spent on cast and crew and other in-state production costs... Neeson’s film could be eligible for about $7 million in credits, state records show." 7•0.3=23.3). WKYC. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  2. "The Marksman (2021)". The Numbers. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  3. "The Marksman (2021)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  4. "The Marksman (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  5. McNary, Dave (May 9, 2019). "Liam Neeson to Star in Action-Thriller 'The Minuteman'". Variety. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  6. Grate, Jake (May 10, 2019). "Liam Neeson to star in new action-thriller 'The Minuteman,' months after racism controversy". Fox News. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  7. White, James (May 9, 2019). "Liam Neeson Starring In Action Thriller The Minuteman". Empire. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  8. "Scandal-plagued Liam Neeson cast in action thriller 'The Minuteman'". Edmonton Journal. May 12, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  9. Hipes, Patrick (September 3, 2019). "'The Minuteman': Katheryn Winnick, Juan Pablo Raba Join Liam Neeson Action Thriller". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  10. Hermanns, Grant (September 4, 2019). "Liam Neeson's The Minuteman Adds Katheryn Winnick & Juan Pablo Raba". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  11. TV News Desk (September 3, 2019). "Katheryn Winnick, Juan Pablo Raba Will Star With Liam Neeson in THE MINUTEMAN". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  12. Haidet, Ryan (October 10, 2019). "Liam Neeson 'Minuteman' movie filming in Lorain County: Here's where the action is taking place". WKYC. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  13. Anderson, Natasha (October 2, 2019). "Caught on camera: Liam Neeson filming new movie in Portage County". WJW (TV). Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  14. "Liam Neeson spotted in Portage County filming 'The Minuteman'". Akron Beacon Journal. October 2, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  15. Balish, Paula (September 25, 2019). "Liam Neeson Shoots Scene In Chardon For Upcoming Movie". WNCX. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  16. Naquin, Talia (August 28, 2019). "Want to be in a movie with Liam Neeson? 'The Minuteman' is filming in Cleveland and looking for actors". WJW (TV). Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  17. "'The Minutemen' starring Liam Neeson to begin filming in New Mexico". KRQE. September 9, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  18. Morona, Joey (October 22, 2019). "Liam Neeson's 'The Minuteman' wrapping up production in Cleveland". Cleveland.com. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  19. D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 17, 2020). "' lThe Marksman': Liam Neeson Action Pic Sets Sights On MLK Weekend". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  20. D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 17, 2021). "Open Road's Liam Neeson Pic 'The Marksman' Takes $3.7M At MLK Weekend Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  21. D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 24, 2021). "'The Marksman' Stays On Target As No. 1 In Pandemic As Major Studios Pull Product From Q1". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  22. D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 31, 2021). "Denzel Washington & Rami Malek Thriller 'The Little Things' Counts $4.8M Debut, Best For Older Guy Fare During Pandemic B.O." Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  23. "The Marksman Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  24. Ehrlich, David (January 12, 2021). "'The Marksman' Review: Liam Neeson Goes Full Clint Eastwood in a Redbox-Ready Action Movie". IndieWire. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
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