Liam Neeson's Underrated 2023 Action Movie With An F1 Star Is A Netflix Hidden Gem

Liam Neeson was embarrassed when he first read the script for "Taken." Little did he know it would alter the trajectory of his acting career for good, beginning the age of the Old Man Liam Neeson action thriller. You know the movie. Neeson is a grizzled veteran of some sort, eager to lead a quiet life but relentlessly pulled back into action to avenge horrific misdeeds carried out by faceless thugs. But 2023's "In the Land of Saints and Sinners" is not your average Old Man Neeson outing. In fact, it's a bit of a hidden gem on Netflix.

That's not to say the film strays too far from the standard Neeson action formula. He's still a badass, and he's still forced to embrace his violent side despite wanting to lead a quieter existence. But there are several things that set "In the Land of Saints and Sinners" apart. For one thing, this time Neeson's not going up against a band of generic goons but "F1" star and fellow Irish actor Kerry Condon, who in this film plays a vengeful IRA member hiding out in a small town.

"Saints and Sinners" was directed by Robert Lorenz, who previously oversaw Neeson's Clint Eastwood-esque 2021 film "The Marksman." But their 2023 collaboration was a slightly more serious affair that premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival before hitting Netflix in April 2024. Since then, it's sat quietly on the streamer's servers. Much like Neeson's retired hitman, however, it's just waiting for you to pluck it out of obscurity.

Aside from playing APXGP technical director and Brad Pitt's love interest Kate McKenna in the exciting but bloated sports drama "F1," Kerry Condon delivered an Oscar-worthy performance in "Banshees of Inisherin." She's also the voice of Tony Stark's Artificial Intelligence F.R.I.D.A.Y. in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In "In the Land of Saints and Sinners," however, she plays a full-on villain who brings the fight to Liam Neeson as he tries to leave his violent past behind him in 1970s coastal Ireland.

Neeson plays Irish war vet turned mob hitman Finbar Murphy, who, after taking out a target, resolves to leave organized crime behind and embrace his quiet life in the small town of Glencolmcille, County Donegal. Meanwhile, Condon's Doireann McCann and three fellow IRA members carry out a bombing in Belfast before retreating to Glencolmcille to hide out. Naturally, their presence immediately causes problems. Might those problems tempt Finbar to return to his violent ways? You bet they might.

Yes, it's Liam Neeson vs. Kerry Condon in a vicious game of cat and mouse that threatens to expose some very dark secrets. Irish acting legends Jack Gleeson, Colm Meaney, and Ciarán Hinds also appear, helping to elevate this film beyond the standard "I don't do that type of thing anymore" Neeson action thriller. In fact, "Saints and Sinners" earned widespread praise when it first debuted, making it a must-watch for anyone even remotely interested in the actor's late-career action fare.

If you take a look at Liam Neeson's Rotten Tomatoes record, there are plenty of Old Man Neeson misfires at the bottom of the critic score rankings. But that doesn't mean every one of the Irish star's action outings is a paltry "Taken" clone. Neeson's best action movie is "The Grey," and that's also one of his best movies overall. Similarly, "In the Land of Saints and Sinners" has powered its way to the upper echelons of the actor's RT ratings.

The film is "certified fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes, where it currently bears an 83% critic score based on 80 reviews. While many reviewers acknowledged the movie's formulaic setup, most were won over by the performances. Danny Leigh of the Financial Times, for example, complimented Neeson on being "as sturdy as ever in a role Clint Eastwood might have played 20 years ago," while also praising his co-star, writing, "Condon excels, giving a stock character a shudder of intensity and three dimensions." The Austin Chronicle's Richard Whittaker also found a "maudlin introspection that bears surprisingly meaningful fruit" in Neeson's quiet performance, while Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle was glad to find that the performances, setting, and "a feeling for the time period" made "In the Land of Saints and Sinners" "more than the usual action movie thrill ride."

There are plenty of similar "Taken"-esque actioners dotted around the streaming sphere. Neeson's action thriller "Absolution" is a decent watch on Hulu, for one. But "In the Land of Saints and Sinners" is a cut above the rest, and well worth seeking out on Netflix.