Mob hitman Jimmy Conlon has lived a life of regret, full of things he’s done that he can never take back. Decisions of a moment that haunt his waking hours as well as his dreams and, one way or another, come back around to hurt him…or worse, the ones he loves.
And on this night, one split-second decision will make him run for his life.Liam Neeson stars as Conlon, who, over the course of just one night, must face off with his former mob boss in order to protect his son. In doing so, he sets off an action-packed chase where he is the most wanted man in the city — by both sides of the law.
“I loved how the story is full of action while it also examines the fractured relationships between two men who are like brothers and a father trying to make amends with his son for things that happened years ago. It was complex and rich, with thrills and spills, and a lot of ‘what ifs’,” says Neeson. “What would have happened if Jimmy had taken this course instead of that course? But that’s the story of all our lives, isn’t it?”
RETRIBUTION, REGRETS & REDEMPTION
After Non-Stop (2014), Neeson once again teams up with director Jaume Collet-Serra, whom he describes as “like a brother”, and who the actor says, “sees action movies as symphonies.”
“It was one of the best scripts I’ve ever read. Every word came to life. The central story of the fathers’ sins coming back to haunt their sons was evocative and the characters were full of soul.” The director reveals he immediately envisioned Neeson in the role of Jimmy. “It was a no-brainer. Not only does Liam have great range, but he has sons, and I knew he’d connect to the story on a whole other level.”
Neeson admits that the script hit a deeper chord with him, having sons who are at the age of discerning their own paths in life. “I can’t imagine losing their (Micheal, 19, and Daniel, 18) love or trust and I can relate to being willing to do anything — no matter what it takes — to get that back.”
In the twists and turns of the night on the run, Collet-Serra saw Ed Harris as mob boss Shawn Maguire, who is also going to protect his own son, and is coming after Conlon with everything he’s got.
“I thought Ed was perfect for the role,” notes Collet-Serra. “He’s a wonderful actor and can exude intimidation. He and Liam each command a powerful presence, and together they really ratchet up both the drama and the action. The combination of the two gives the film a real punch.”
Harris was intrigued with the tale of retribution, regrets and redemption, and eager to work with Collet-Serra and Neeson. “I was glad they asked me to join them, I thought it would be fun. There’s an edge, but also an intimacy to the crazy night they get caught up in. Jaume knows how to weave the action and emotion together and I’ve always had a lot of admiration for Liam, so it was a great scenario all around.”
THE FATHER FIGURE
The script came to producer Roy Lee by way of producer Brooklyn Weaver, who manages screenwriter Brad Ingelsby. Weaver says: “I was absolutely blown away by the emotionally powerful characters and journey, which he had executed in such a thematically epic manner. On page 4, I had goosebumps and by page 11, I knew I wanted to make the movie. I really connected to the complex, intertwined story of fathers and sons in the middle of all this great action that kept me turning the pages.”
Collet-Serra says: “Most people wish they could have at least one do-over, to right some wrong in their life. To actually get that opportunity to redeem yourself is very appealing and everyone can relate to that.”
But Jimmy’s only got one shot at redemption, at having his son not hate him anymore. One shot to live…and one night to pull it off.
Joel Kinnaman stars in the role of Mike Conlon, Jimmy’s estranged son, who wants nothing to do with his father or his father's line of work, not since Jimmy abandoned them years ago. A quick run as a professional boxer didn’t pan out, so in addition to his construction job, he drives a limo to support his wife and two kids.
Kinnaman describes Mike as “another casualty of his father’s lifestyle. He walked out on Mike when he was five and Mike’s lived his life just trying to be everything his father wasn’t.” The only time Mike has seen Jimmy in the past five years has been at his mom’s funeral, and even then Jimmy showed up drunk. Before that, it was only when he needed a place to hide out. “Jimmy has not been a father-figure in any way and so Mike takes his own role as a dad very seriously. That’s why he works so hard; he’s trying to make ends meet for his family and his family is everything. It’s what he lives for,” says Kinnaman.
Both Kinnaman and Neeson agree that working out the father and son relationship on screen afforded them the chance to become close off-screen.
Kinnaman shares: “I’ve always looked up to him, so it was a very special opportunity. It was a great honour to get to play alongside Liam. He’s had so many memorable performances.”
To help his son, Jimmy must dust off his gun — and use it again. Of course once he does, he has both the mob and the entire police department on their trail. “Father and son are together and yet not together, trying to evade the forces of law and order, and the Westie gang, and it sets up a lovely tension between the two of them,” says Neeson.
THE RULE OF THE STREET
Vincent D’Onofrio stars as Detective John Harding, a cop who has wanted to put Jimmy away for three decades and who may now get the opportunity to do just that.
“I definitely wanted to be involved with a New York kind of drama/action film with Liam and Ed,” says D’Onofrio, who has spent many hours in the theatre watching Harris on stage. “Harding is a New York City detective who has a rocky history with Jimmy. He’s never been able to prove how many hits Jimmy committed and he’s still fixated on that. It’s been many, many years but when they meet again, it’s actually the first thing on Harding’s mind. He believes this is the night he’s going to finally nail Jimmy Conlon.”
But who Jimmy really needs to worry about is the guy Shawn has called upon to track him and his son down: Andrew Price. He’s a whole new kind of enforcer, and he’s colder and harder than Jimmy ever was.
Collet-Serra describes Price as “the monster that you unleash and you cannot stop. He’s a next-generation hitman. He has no alliances to anybody or anything except money. He represents the new way of the mob. Everything has a bottom line.”
When Shawn reaches out to Price, the bottom line becomes taking out Jimmy and Mike. No matter what. Harris says, “Both Jimmy and Shawn know there’s only one way it can end. It’s the rule of the street in the world they inhabit.”
Common stars as Price, the assassin who isn’t going to stop until, as Jimmy says, “We’re all dead.” He offers, “It’s just cool to be in a film with Liam Neeson and to play his character’s modern-day counterpart. The guy who will look someone in the eye, shoot them in the head, say ‘job’s done’ and keep going. Price has an edge, he’s a little disturbed, is very smart and determined and moves with precision. He’s on this quest to get his prey and he is on them. It was exciting to embark on that.”
Collet-Serra recalls their first meeting. “Common is a really nice guy. That obviously speaks to his acting skills as he was able to draw from somewhere deep and play this villain who’s really tough and scary, and has this relentless energy.”
For his role, Common trained with the stunt coordinators to develop a body language and gun skills that were different from anyone else’s. “He definitely lived up to the expectation of somebody coming after a Liam Neeson character, which is not an easy thing to do,” Collet-Serra smiles.
Rounding out the cast are Bruce McGill as Shawn’s consigliere, Pat Mullen; Holt McCallany as his muscle, Frank; and Patricia Kalember as his wife, Rose Maguire. Nick Nolte also makes an appearance in a pivotal scene as Jimmy’s brother, Eddie, whom he rarely sees.
“We were so blessed to have the great Nick Nolte. I couldn’t believe it when Jaume told me. He was wonderful. So raw and honest. His part is brief but hugely important to my character and we were all very excited by his taking the role,” says Neeson.
Collet-Serra agrees: “I was very fortunate to have such a great cast to collaborate with. They all brought so much to their characters and that brought so much to the story. Their performances engage you and keep you on the edge of your seat, and really elevate the stakes of survival and redemption.”
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