Qhis evening, at 21.20 on Rai 2, it will be broadcast A man above the lawmovies with Liam Neeson directed by a historical collaborator of Clint Eastwood. And that tells thea flight from Mexico to the United States of a Mexican child and a war veteran disillusioned with life.
A man above the lawthe plot of the movie
Former Marine sniper and Vietnam War veteran Jim Hanson (Liam Neeson) lives along the Arizona-Mexico border, reporting attempted illegal crossings. One day while he is on patrol, he meets Rosa (Teresa Ruiz) and her son Miguel (Jacob Perez), Mexican citizens fleeing the Cartel. Hanson calls the border patrol but at the end of the call he is involved in a shootout with a team of criminals led by the ferocious Mauricio (Juan Pablo Raba). Hanson returns fire and kills Mauricio’s brother; Rosa is mortally wounded by one of the gang members but before she dies, she gives Hanson a note with her family’s address in Chicago. Hanson reluctantly agrees to take little Miguel to his family.
Pursued by a violent gang, the two arrive in Oklahoma but Hanson uses his credit card to temporarily repair his pickup truck that was hit in the radiator in the border shootout, making himself available. Mauricio follows the couple on Route 66 but a crooked cop stops Hanson and Miguel; after getting her license and keys, she invites Hanson to get into the police vehicle and wait for him while he goes to talk to the boy and search his pick-up. Realizing the agent is corrupt, Hanson subdues the agent and retrieves his keys. Soon after, Mauricio and the rest of the team catch up with the corrupt officer and execute him as Hanson and Miguel watch hidden.
Liam Neeson and Jacob Perez in a scene from “A Man Above the Law”. (Ryan Sweeney / Open Road Films / Briarcliff Entertainment)
The two continue to head north and despite Hanson’s lack of faith, they stop at a church so Miguel can give Rosa a proper funeral.. The repair on the pick-up’s radiator gives way during the escape and the two are forced to stop. Eventually Mauricio and his men catch up with Hanson e a firefight ensues at a nearby farm.
A film indebted to Clint Eastwood
Directed by Robert Lorenz, historic producer of so much Clint Eastwood cinema, A man above the law cannot fail to be influenced by the great American director. Especially in the more melancholy and twilight tones. Halfway between a road movie and a drama of solitude, the film follows Eastwoodian themes even in portraying a protagonist, the always good Liam Neeson, tired and disillusioned who suddenly finds a reason to redeem the sins of the past. And that he will not hesitate to take up arms to fight for a good cause and for his ethical values.
Despite a certain narrative predictability, especially regarding the ending, A man above the law owns a poetic vein that allows the film to go beyond the confines of the genre. Telling a moving and essentially universal story of redemption. Great credit for the success goes precisely to Liam Neeson which gives Jim Hanson’s character complex nuances. A painful role that the actor of Schindler’s List outlines with intelligence and great acting skill.
Liam Neeson, a star for all genres
Born in Northern Ireland in 1952, the British actor made his film debut in the late 1970s but will have to “work hard” for more than a decade to get his first starring roles. After a few small parts indeed – in films like Excalibur, The Bounty And Mission –, in 1990 he was chosen by Sam Raimi for his Darkman although real popularity comes three years later thanks to Steven Spielberg. Who chooses him for his masterpiece on the Holocaust Schindler’s List. From then on, the doors of Hollywood will also open for Liam, in a series of films that range from more independent cinema to blockbusters like Star Wars. Then, starting in 2008 with I will find youit starts sort of second career in the action-thriller genre.
As far as private life is concerned, after a long relationship in the eighties with Helen Mirrenin 1994 he married the actress Natasha Richardson, daughter of Vanessa Redgrave, who unfortunately he will tragically die in 2009 after a fall on the ski slope. A loss that deeply marked the actor, to the point of shooting in 2020 together with his son Micheál a film titled Made in Italy where, in the roles of father and son, they find themselves in an old country house in Tuscany, after years of being away, and try to put the relationship back on track after the death of the motherAnd. When art truly imitates life.
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