Starring Liam Neeson as a war hero on the run from the cops, the directorial debut of stunt coordinator Mark Vanselow delivers lots of vehicular action, some of it quite fun. But despite a stacked supporting cast (including Marisa Tomei, Ving Rhames and Michael Chiklis), the script by Thompson Evans is so committed to ensuring that the audience stays on the right side of the developing conflict that there’s never a moment to question the outcome of the story that the filmmakers are telling.
Despite the lingering emotional reverberations of his service (all shot using desaturated filters and cut together in semi-comprehensible montages), Neeson plays Fang as a mostly even-tempered, almost cheerful fellow, which makes it easy to like and root for his character. (One wouldn’t necessarily expect a scene of the actor gently trying to coax a stubborn tabby out from under a bed, but Neeson contains multitudes.) But aside from a declaration that “I will never be captured again,” that complicated past just doesn’t jibe well enough with the character’s disposition to justify this cross-country pursuit. Fang isn’t a character you find yourself sympathizing with, he’s one the movie demands you like, which robs the story of emotional weight.
Rhames gets less to do here than in the final “Mission: Impossible” chapters as he and Thomas run interference for Fang to keep military helicopters from blasting him off the highway. Chiklis, meanwhile, seems to relish his character’s opportunity to use excessive force in the line of duty, though as the only person in the film (aside from Fang’s unintentional victim) who isn’t blindly reverent of his suspect’s military service there’s something appealing about him playing an out-and-out villain. Yet it’s Tomei who overdelivers in a role that, like too many she’s been given recently, feels unworthy of her talents. Our introduction to Tara is during a flashback to their breakup, and she makes the most of an efficiently written scene. But as she provides a sounding board to Fang as the chase winds on, you understand why he continues to harbor affections for her.
Vanselow, who previously worked with Neeson on multiple projects including “The Naked Gun,” understands how to design action sequences, but at some point they all start to run together. During the second half, Coates exists as a direct-to-camera narrator describing what’s happening, and then interjecting details about Fang’s background, his victim’s dubious business practices and Walter Pope’s past professional malfeasance that, again, ensure we care about no one but him. In fact, the movie doesn’t even bother revealing Fang’s ultimate fate; but then again, he’s been fully vindicated in the court of public opinion, so who cares? “The Mongoose” has plenty of muscle, but what it lacks under the hood is heart. Honoring the sacrifices of America’s military men and women is noble, but there are better ways to thank them for their service than a bland tribute like this.
