"Grandpa, are you a good guy?"
There are but a few things in life that can be considered certain: death, taxes, and Liam Neeson showing up in yearly movies in which he beats bad guys down to a tomatoey pulp. Collider can exclusively reveal the explosive, action-packed trailer for the latest: director Mark Williams' Blacklight, in which Neeson plays Travis Block, a freelance government "fixer" whose family are threatened when Block comes close to unveiling terrible state secrets. These baddies clearly never watched Taken, else they'd know the cardinal rule: whatever you do, never go for Neeson's family.
The trailer reveals a whole lotta guns, fist fights, and exploding cars - along with some terrific rejoinders you'd only get in a thrilling Neeson vehicle. Like Taken, there's a surprisingly tender emotional core on display, too: take the scene towards the end of the trailer, in which Block has some grandpa time with his granddaughter, who sweetly asks "are you a good guy?" (His response suggests that he hardly knows himself.)
Either way, it's shaping up to be a great year for fans of shoot 'em up Neeson vehicles: Bond maestro Martin Campbell's Memory, starring Neeson and Aussie actor Guy Pearce, is set to hit theaters in April.
Here's the full synopsis for Blacklight:
"Trust, identity, and the danger of unchecked power push a covert operative to the edge in director Mark Williams’ intense action thriller Blacklight. Travis Block (Neeson) lives and fights in the shadows. A freelance government “fixer,” Block is a dangerous man whose assignments have included extracting agents out of deep-cover situations. He knows his hands are dirty, but he’s aiming to change. When an agent is killed after infiltrating a group espousing violent societal upheaval, Block discovers a shadowy program called Operation Unity is striking down ordinary citizens for reasons known only to Block’s boss, FBI chief Robinson (Quinn). As Block gets closer to the truth, he enlists the help of a journalist (Raver-Lampman), but his past and present collide when his daughter and granddaughter are threatened, and in saving them, he could save himself. Now Block needs to rescue the people he loves and expose the truth for a shot at redemption. Nothing and no one is safe when secrets are hidden in Blacklight."