Liam Neeson is one of the Hollywood’s favourite and successful actor in the film industry. He has starred in many successful films, from doing the voice as Aslan in Chronicles of Narnia, to being a Jedi in Star Wars. Over the years, Liam has been appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire, received the freedom of the Borough from Ballymena Borough Council, awarded an honorary doctorate by Queen’s University and The American Ireland Fund honoured Neeson with their Performing Arts Award for the great distinction he has brought to Ireland. I’ll be looking at the top five most successful films Liam Neeson has brought to our screens over the years.
1.Schindler’s List (1993)
This film is a 1993 American epic historical period drama, directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg and is based on the life of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. His critically acclaimed performance earned him a nomination for a Best Actor Oscar, and helped the film earn Best Picture of 1993. Soon after earning a lot of recognition, Neeson became an in-demand leading actor.
2. Clash of the Titans (2010)
This film is a 2010 British-American fantasy adventure film directed by Louis Leterrier and is very loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus. Clash of the Titans grossed $493 million worldwide and starred Liam Neeson as one of the Gods Zeus, opposite Ralph Fiennes character as Hades.
3. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Being a Jedi and going up against Darth Maul using a lightsaber is not easy but Liam Neeson pulled it off and after starring in one of the most popular and successful sequel, his dramatic sequence battle in the movie is one of the most recognisable to date. The 1999 American epic space opera film is written and directed by George Lucas and is the fourth film in the Star Wars saga. The films narrative follows the Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi protecting Queen Amidala, who is traveling from the planet Naboo to the planet Coruscant, hoping to find a peaceful end to a large-scale interplanetary trade dispute. Colin Kennedy of Empire magazine also praised Liam Neeson’s performance, and said the duel between Darth Maul and the Jedi was “the saga’s very best lightsaber battle”.
4. Taken (2008)
This film is a 2008 French action thriller film directed by Pierre Morel and stars Neeson as a former CIA operative named Bryan Mills who sets about tracking down his daughter after she is kidnapped by human traffickers for sexual slavery while traveling in France. Numerous media outlets have cited the film as a turning point in Neeson’s career that redefined and transformed him to an action film star and the film earned over $226 million at the box office.
5. Batman Begins (2005)
Everybody likes a villain with a plan, especially if their going up against Gotham’s mighty hero Batman. The film is a 2005 superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, co-written and directed by Christopher Nolan. The film reboots the Batman film series, telling the origin story of the character from Bruce Wayne’s initial fear of bats, the death of his parents, his journey to become Batman, and his fight against Ra’s al Ghul’s plot to destroy Gotham City. Neeson’s villain character Ra’s al Ghul was a mysterious man who trains Bruce in the martial arts, initially posing as a subservient member of the League of Shadows.
