The Marksman
Directed by: Robert Lorenz
Written by: Chris Charles and Danny Kravitz and Robert Lorenz
Starring: Liam Neeson, Jacob Perez, Juan Pablo Raba, Katheryn Winnick, Teresa Ruiz, Vic Browder
Action/Thriller - 108 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 12 Jan 2021
Written by: Chris Charles and Danny Kravitz and Robert Lorenz
Starring: Liam Neeson, Jacob Perez, Juan Pablo Raba, Katheryn Winnick, Teresa Ruiz, Vic Browder
Action/Thriller - 108 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 12 Jan 2021
There are worse things than being type cast as a former something or other with special skills. The problem sets in when it all blends together. I believe Liam Neeson was also a former Marine in the last one of these interchangeable titles he did, Honest Thief. As rancher Jim, Neeson is just as honest here, but he’s honestly behind on his mortgage and looking for some more wiggle room from the bank. He’s asking for breaks he won’t extend to those desperate immigrants running for their lives across the U.S./Mexico border, which parallels his land. Jim likes to say, “I served, I pay my taxes…”, but what he means is “I have the right to be six months delinquent on my mortgage.” He sees “IA”s, illegal aliens, running form hell on the other side of the border and instead of giving them a chance, he’s quick with his walkie-talkie finger to radio in the Border Patrol to round up the riff-raff.
Perhaps Jim believes he’s the only fellow in need of grace periods nowadays. Director and co-writer Robert Lorenz, writing for the first time alongside fellow first-time screenwriters Chris Charles and Danny Kravitz, play with the time-honored tradition of the protagonist with vague political opinions even though a hut button issue stares him in the face. This time, it’s illegal immigration. Jim’s views are vague enough for no side of the political spectrum to claim him as their own. On one hand, he’s an extra sensor for the Border Patrol to spot and arrest crossers. On the other hand, he is a savior with a canteen full of water and assurances that a doctor will keep the injured alive. The filmmakers are smart enough to know they would alienate half the audience if Jim came out and said he was a Trump supporter and favored the construction of an ironclad wall.
Perhaps Jim believes he’s the only fellow in need of grace periods nowadays. Director and co-writer Robert Lorenz, writing for the first time alongside fellow first-time screenwriters Chris Charles and Danny Kravitz, play with the time-honored tradition of the protagonist with vague political opinions even though a hut button issue stares him in the face. This time, it’s illegal immigration. Jim’s views are vague enough for no side of the political spectrum to claim him as their own. On one hand, he’s an extra sensor for the Border Patrol to spot and arrest crossers. On the other hand, he is a savior with a canteen full of water and assurances that a doctor will keep the injured alive. The filmmakers are smart enough to know they would alienate half the audience if Jim came out and said he was a Trump supporter and favored the construction of an ironclad wall.
Lorenz is Clint Eastwood’s regular producer and second unit director. Eastwood's proximity reflects in Jim. He’s a character with no patience for his fellow man. Even the immigration theme harkens back to Gran Torino replacing the Hmong with Mexicans. The script leaves Jim’s views with a drunken, “The government needs to figure this mess out.” Way to say something without saying anything. There are references to a dead wife whose illness sucked up all the savings, income, and the desire to effectively manage the ranch. I bet a right to common sense health care premiums and/or no caps on health insurance policies looks mighty shiny to Jim right about now. However, the health care fight is for a different hero. Jim’s quest involves a newly orphaned boy and a very angry Mexican drug cartel.
Even before they burn his house down and make him run for his life, Jim’s life was already rough. Lorenz establishes his bona fides of confronting life and death in the first scene along with displaying his skills with a rile as he guns down a coyote who took out one of his dogs. By the way, why call it The Marksman? We see Jim operate a rifle a couple times, but it’s not his defining characteristic. It’s not what makes Jim…Jim. I suppose calling it The Grouch or The Misanthrope would be more off-putting. Jim, either in the right place at the right time, or the other way around depending on how you look at it, interrupts a mom and son fleeing across the border fence with cartel goons right behind them. Mom has a bag of their stolen cash. Yada yada yada, the boy, Miguel (Jacob Perez), is now an orphan and Jim is the only one standing between him and a bullet to the head.
The film says most U.S. law enforcement is corrupt and the only people you can count on is yourself and your local gun store proprietor. Lorenz does not appear to be a fan of federally-mandated background checks. Naturally, Jim’s sharp edges smooth out a bit under Miguel’s influence and his empathy lights blink on again. Lorenz and company have nothing new to say about the illegal immigration dilemma, the action film, nor the cross country bonding of two opposites. The Marksman is a placeholder for those looking for another crusty Eastwood character who has no time for the contemporary world’s tomfoolery.
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