Liam Neeson has been acting for more than four decades. He began his journey in 1976, joining Belfast's Lyric Theatre, and then two years after, he started performing classics at the acclaimed Dublin Abbey Theatre. He then went on to grace the big screen in 1978 with Pilgrim's Progress. His first significant cinematic role was the role of Sir Gawain in Excalibur. Since then, the blockbuster actor has spanned every genre, from drama and horror to musicals and romantic comedy, but most recently, it has been a dominant force in the action genre specifically.
It's no surprise that Neeson has maintained his A-list star status, given that he continues to expand his comfort zone, even becoming a bona fide action star well into his 50s with the ever-popular Taken in 2008. Taken relaunched his already accomplished career and turned him into not just an action star but a pop culture phenomenon as his famous "I will find you" monologue went viral, being made into memes, spoofed on comedy shows, and repeated to the point where there's probably plenty of people that have heard that monologue without even knowing what movie it came from.
Update May 23, 2023: If you are here for Liam Neeson and his outstanding work, you'll be happy to know we've updated this article with more of the talented actor's best films.
To say that the actor has range would be an understatement, which explains why he has so many fans from so many demographic backgrounds. With so many films under his belt since his on-screen debut in 1978, we decided to look at the legendary thespian's work and narrow it down to his 16 best films. It's difficult to choose just a few select movies in a filmography that includes over 100 acting credits. Neeson is a workhorse, and it shows in every frame. It's no wonder auteurs such as Steven Spielberg, and Martin Scorsese have chosen to work with him over the years. Neeson appeals to everyone and every genre, and here are his best movies ranked.
17 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace and the rest of the Star Wars prequels are controversial movies. Widely hated in their time, the movies have undergone somewhat of a cultural reappraisal as the kids who grew up with them have become adults. Yet one element that cannot be denied that works about The Phantom Menace is Neeson's performance as Qui-Gon Jinn.
Neeson gives the Jedi master a sense of warmth and likeability, making him instantly iconic to a generation of moviegoers. He needed to embody the same sense of kindness, knowledge, and trust that Alec Guinness' Obi-Wan Kenobi did for kids who saw the original Star Wars in 1977. For young children who saw The Phantom Menace, Neeson's presence and voice became instantly associated with a strong mentor and one that other films like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe would embrace, and Batman Begins would subvert.
16 Michael Collins
Michael Collins stars Neeson as Michael Collins, who is an Irish revolutionary, politician, and soldier that was a top leader in the early 20th century in the Irish War of Independence. Neeson received unanimous praise for his compelling performance in this historical biographical drama. Collins fought to lead a rebellion against the United Kingdom, which liberated Ireland from existing under the rule of the UK.
Collins was an exceptionally accomplished and ambitious man as he was the Intelligence Director of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), a government minister to the Irish Republic, the Chairman of the Provisional Government of the Irish Free State, and, to top it off, commander-in-chief of the National Army. Big shoes to fill for any actor, but Neeson pulled it off, earning a Golden Globe nomination for his performance. Although the film did not acquire the loftiest acclaim from critics and audiences alike, it is still a remarkable account of the Irish Revolution. Neeson's performance alone is worth the watch.
15 Ordinary Love
Ordinary Love is about a husband and wife, Tom (Liam Neeson) and Joan (Lesley Manville), who are struggling to cope after obtaining Joan's breast cancer diagnosis. The narrative sounds tiresome and like a familiar formulaic medical drama, but it is far from that. Ordinary Love concentrates on relationships and contains so much heart that although it isn't the most authentic story ever, it is a captivating perspective.
The film received excellent reviews as Neeson takes on the daunting breakdown of a man dealing with the overwhelming weight of a loved one laboring through cancer. The movie takes the audience through the entire roller coaster of a cancer diagnosis and treatment, and as daunting as watching something like that sounds; the film is every bit worth it to see all the love, tribulations, and humanity that comes out of ordinary couples in dire times.
14 Darkman
Before he starred in Batman Begins, Neeson played a superhero of Frankenstein-esque proportions in Darkman. Directed by Sam Raimi and written as an ode to Universal monster movies, Darkman is a gory, weird, and tragic film that Neeson's Dr. Peyton Wilder carries on his mangled back. At the time, Neeson was a relatively unknown actor, but Universal rolled the dice on the cast due to both Raimi's The Evil Dead franchise success and the success of Tim Burton's Batman the year prior. Unlike Schindler's List, released three years later, Neeson's Dr. Wilder is loud, boisterous, and unpredictable. It's a fun performance to revisit.
13 A Walk Among the Tombstones
In the 2014 neo-noir action thriller A Walk Among the Tombstones, Liam Neeson portrays former NYPD cop-turned-private investigator Matthew Scudder, who is hired by a notorious drug trafficker to locate the men responsible for the brutal kidnapping and murder of his wife; Scudder sets out to stop the perpetrators and takes to the streets to catch the killers, using any means necessary to put an end to the violence.
The film was adapted from the Lawrence Block novel of the same name, and the author himself was delighted at the casting of Neeson as the complex main character, having stated: "Readers often ask who'd be my ideal Matt Scudder, and I usually change the subject. But now it's safe to tell you that, ever since I saw him in Michael Collins, Neeson has been up at the top of my personal Scudder wish list."
12 Love Actually
In Love Actually, Neeson plays a widower named Daniel who is coming to terms with the loss of his beloved wife while left to raise his stepson Sam. While helping his young son navigate his own grief, it is discovered that his son is in love with one of his schoolmates, Joanna. The pair end up bonding over a social experiment of helping Sam garner the attention of his crush, which includes learning an instrument to play in the school talent show.
11 A Monster Calls
Lionsgate
In A Monster Calls, Neeson takes on A-list voice acting duties as the monster, and his deep, grunting voice is perfect for the voiceover performance. Neeson's tree monster is initially a source of fear for the film's young protagonist but eventually serves as a sounding board and vehicle to help him cope with his dying mother while she endures her chemotherapy treatments. In a tale of allegorical stories, childhood fantasies, and escapism, Neeson delivers one of his finest performances to date.
10 Kinsey
Chronicling the life of revered professor and sexologist Alfred Charles Kinsey, the fascinating biographical drama Kinsey features Liam Neeson as the influential pioneer who valiantly fought to teach sex education courses and whose extensive research became one of the first science-based published works on the once taboo subject.
The dynamic actor delivered a superb performance as the controversial figure, with critics praising his ability to depict both Kinsey's outstanding achievements as well as his flaws and shortcomings. Kinsey landed on countless end-of-the-year top ten lists, and for his role in the picture, Neeson earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor.
9 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
In another popular voice role, Neeson takes on the mystical Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia film series. While he is featured in all the movies in the franchise, his role is the most prominent in the first installment Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Neeson's unique voice is the perfect pairing for the wise, all-knowing Aslan, who author C.S. Lewis has stated represents Jesus Christ in the books. Neeson's voice provides a sense of warmth and real power, giving the character the gravitas that readers of the books knew the character would need.
8 Taken
You've likely quoted Neeson's iconic "I will find you" monologue in this film, or at least heard your friends, acquaintances, or various pop culture parodies do it. In Taken, Neeson plays a man with a very particular set of skills who, after his daughter gets kidnapped, goes on a one-man killing spree to save her. It's the film that solidified Neeson as an action star and prompted two successful sequels, and reinvited Neeson as an action movie star in films like The Commuter, Unknown, and Non-Stop, to name a few.
Still, this film remains the finest of the trilogy, simply because audiences hadn't been exposed to the physical dexterity, vengeful tone of voice, and explosive angriness that Neeson had buried inside of him, and the trilogy's revenge formula was fresh and exciting.
7 Honest Thief
Briarcliff Entertainment
Honest Thief places Neeson front and center of an FBI scandal. As a former bank robber wanted by the federal authorities, Neeson's character, Tom Dolan, another former Marine, cuts a deal with the FBI, only to be double-crossed, as the agents who capture him are after the money he's stored away.
Dolan wasn't in it for the money but rather the thrill of getting away with breaking the law. Fistfights, car chases, and unexpected explosions - are all ingredients for a great Neeson action flick, in which, of course, the seasoned actor always comes out on top. Neeson was typically critically lauded for his ability to carry the film.
6 The Marksman
One of Neeson's latest and most politically current action thrillers, The Marksman, shows rancher Jim Hanson face off against a Mexican Cartel. Jim, a former Marine, becomes the protector of a young Mexican boy fleeing cartel sicarios. After calling the border patrol, things only get worse, and Jim must reconcile with the damage he's caused, so he decides to take the young boy to his family in Chicago.
The Marksman is a grim tale of corruption, failure, and redemption. Neeson is typically strong as the quiet farmer-turned-badass guardian, willing to put his life on the line for justice — a common theme throughout his action characters.
5 The Ice Road
Someone was bound to make a thriller about ice road truckers, about which an extremely popular show has been made. And fans and critics alike were glad they did it with Neeson leading the cast. The Ice Road tells the tale of an ice driver who embarks upon an impossible rescue mission after a diamond mine collapses in a remote region in Canada.
Neeson must cross a frozen ocean to save the lives of miners trapped in the accident, all while the ocean thaws and the threat of corrupt insurance company agents close in on him. Neeson plays a subdued, if resolute, character with both PTSD and aphasia, admirably conveying mental illness. Netflix purchased the rights to the movie for the hefty sum of $18 million dollars, and the result is a slick, tense variation on the classic Wages of Fear.
4 Batman Begins
The first film in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy, Batman Begins, took an entirely new, gritty direction in the superhero genre — one that films like it would attempt to emulate in years to come. Neeson brought the popular villain Ra's al Ghul to life from DC Comics with both pathos and cunning intelligence.
Standing at 6'4", Neeson's screen presence even intimidates the young Bruce Wayne throughout the film. It doesn't hurt that Neeson brings a fair amount of fighting prowess and clever, stinging one-liners to his performance. For an audience of young kids who knew Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn, the revelation that he was the movie's main villain likely was their first major movie twist.
3 The Grey
Although on its surface, it appears like a Neeson versus arctic wolves action film, it is also a thoughtful meditation on death and the fleeting nature of life. One of Neeson's finest forays into the action genre, The Grey, was filmed under equally brutal conditions as the wolves' attacks on the characters. Neeson shot the film seven hours a night in -35 degree weather, with the cameras, cast, and crew constantly freezing, and still managed to give a compelling performance.
He delivers the film's verbal motif with compelling passion, "Once more into the fray. Into the last good fight I'll ever know. Live and die on this day. Live and die on this day." The Grey has such nuance, managing to be a killer action flick while remaining a poetic meditation on depression and hopelessness, and it still gives the audience chills akin to being in the subzero Alaskan wilderness.
2 Silence
Silence is a 159-minute film based on the true story of 17th-century Jesuit priests (played by Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) who embark on a journey to Japan to rescue their mentor (Neeson). It marks Neeson's second film with director Martin Scorsese after Gangs of New York. Neeson gives a subdued performance. Through his character, who denounced Jesus, became a Buddhist, and inherited a Japanese family from executed Japanese Christian men, Scorsese creates a cautionary tale of the perils of missionaries overstepping their boundaries, as the Japanese people never needed saving.
Missionary works, unfortunately, intersect with imperialism and colonialism from time to time, and Silence is a perfect depiction of this, along with both the beauty and suffering inherent in religious themes. Neeson is nearly mythical here, having lost nearly 20 pounds during the tough production schedule, and his presence speaks volumes in the later parts of the film. Although Silence isn't Scorsese's most popular film, it is a passion project he spent thirty years trying to make, and it speaks volumes that he cast Neeson as one of its main characters.
1 Schindler's List
Arguably director Steven Spielberg's most critically acclaimed film, Schindler's List, based on the true story of Oskar Schindler, made Neeson a star. The film covers Schindler's creation of an enamelware factory employing Jewish essential workers to avoid them being taken to concentration camps, his close relationship with the SS Nazis, his change of heart to save as many Jews as possible, and his ultimate prevention of Jews being taken from the city of Brünnlitz to Auschwitz.
Through Spielberg's use of black, white, and red, he emphasizes Schindler's change of heart, which Neeson so eloquently portrays. Neeson doesn't play a man with a perfect moral compass, and the complexities of this are acted to perfection through his subtle facial expressions and soft-spoken delivery.