10 Most Underrated Liam Neeson Movies, Ranked

Between Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in the Star Wars franchise, the DC villain Ra’s Al Ghul in Batman Begins, and Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, Liam Neeson has played more than a few iconic characters. The Irish actor has been a star ever since his breakout performance in Sam Raimi’s twisted superhero film Darkman, and has established himself as one of the definitive action heroes of his generation.

What’s ironic is that Neeson’s transition to action cinema came fairly late in his career. Although Neeson primarily appeared in historical epics and character dramas early in his career, his performance in the action film Taken led him to star in many other revenge thrillers. Although Neeson received an Academy Award nomination for his Schindler’s List performance and has appeared in several major franchises, some of his best work is more obscure. Here are ten of the most underrated Liam Neeson movies ranked.

10 ‘Rob Roy’ (1995)

Directed by Michael Claton-Jones

Rob Roy got a little overshadowed during its initial release because it came out the same year as Braveheart, another historical epic about a proud Scotsman fighting against the English crown. The film follows the Scottish clan leader Robert Roy MacGregor, who forms an agreement with the Duke of Montrose, James Graham (John Hurt), to provide for his people. Their deal is threatened when the English nobleman Archibald Cunningham (Tim Roth) raped McaGregor’s wife Mary (Jessica Lange), leading him to dispense with his own brand of justice.

Although Neeson has starred in many revenge films, Rob Roy is unique because the titular character is not an inherently violent man. Neeson shows how MacGregor serves as a diligent leader to his people who only wants to see justice preserved. The horrific actions of Archibald traumatize MacGregor, forcing him to see his peaceful ways aside as he seeks justice.

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9 ‘Michael Collins’ (1996)

Directed by Neil Jordan

Similar to Rob Roy, Neeson portrayed another key figure within European history in the 1996 biopic Michael Collins. He stars as the titular revolutionary hero, who led the fight for Ireland’s fight for civil independence from England in the early 20th century. Although Collins and his ally Éamon de Valera (Alan Rickman) seek a peaceful solution to their struggle, they are forced to take up arms during the Irish War of Independence.

Michael Collins showed Neeson’s ability to inspire a crowd and give a rousing speech; it’s not Collins’ physicality or combat skills that make him a great leader, but his strength of character and political knowledge. It’s one of the best films about Irish history; although Neeson’s performance didn’t earn him an Oscar nomination, the film was awarded the prestigious Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival.

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8 ‘K-19: The Widowmaker’ (2002)

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow

Neeson teamed up with another Star Wars actor, Harrison Ford, in Kathryn Bigelow’s exciting submarine thriller K-19: The Widowmaker. The film follows the veteran Russian Captain Alexei Vostrikov (Ford) as he prepares the crew of the Soviet Union’s first ballistic submarine in 1961. Vostrikov’s strict procedures and aptitude for danger bring him into conflict with the submarine’s executive officer, Mikhail Polenin (Neeson).

Ford and Neeson do a great job of showing how the two officers clash over their different opinions about leadership and war. Although both men are loyal to their country, Polenin has a previously existing relationship with the crew of the ship and feels that he knows how to prepare his men. Although K-19: The Widowmaker isn’t often regarded as one of Bigelow’s best films, it certainly deserves a watch by any fan of Cold War thrillers.

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7 ‘Kinsey’ (2004)

Directed by Bill Condon

Although Neeson is best known for his revenge films like Taken, he showed a softer side of his personality in Bill Condon’s intimate 2004 drama Kinsey. Neeson stars as Professor Alfred Kinsey, a pioneer in the study of human sexuality who developed groundbreaking research in sex education with his studies in the 1940s. Although his research is conducted with the best of intentions, Kinsey has to fight to ensure that his field of study is treated with respect.

The film does a great job of showing how the relationship between Kinsey and his wife Clara McMillen (Laura Linney in an Oscar-nominated performance) inspires his research. Kinsey’s frustrations with his own marriage lead him to explore why intimacy issues occur as he tries to find a way for him and his wife to be happier. The sensitivity that Neeson conveys in his performance makes Kinsey an outlier in his career.

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6 ‘The Next Three Days’ (2010)

Directed by Paul Haggis

Although Neeson is one of the most charismatic leading men of his generation, he is just as strong with his supporting performances. His role as the escaped prisoner Damon Pennington in Paul Haggis’ 2010 thriller The Next Three Days is essential to the film’s story. After the loving husband John Brennan (Russell Crowe) learns that his wife Lara (Elizabeth Banks) has been sent to prison and accused of murder, he seeks out Pennington’s help in plotting her escape.

Neeson is effective in The Next Three Days because of how different Pennington is compared to Brennan. While Brennan has no knowledge of the criminal lifestyle, Pennington has escaped prison several times and knows how to plot the perfect escape. Although they share only a few brief scenes, it’s a joy to see two great actors like Neeson and Crowe interact with each other.

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5 ‘Unknown’ (2011)

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra

Neeson and director Jaume Collet-Serra have worked together several times on the films Non-Stop, Run All Night, and The Commuter, but 2011’s Unknown remains their best collaboration to date. The Hitchcockian thriller follows Professor Martin Harris, who wakes up from a coma and finds that no one recognizes him. An encounter with his taxi driver Gina (Diane Kruger) leads Harris to suspect that he is embroiled in a political conspiracy.

Unknown is unique among Neeson’s thrillers because his character is not a fearsome action hero. Harris is just an ordinary man caught up in extraordinary circumstances, which makes him vulnerable. It’s exciting to watch Harris try to unpack his own life because Neeson shows how strange the entire experience is for him. Although there’s an element of suspense and intrigue in Unknown, it’s more focused on the mystery than the action.

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4 ‘A Walk Among the Tombstones’ (2014)

Directed by Scott Frank

Writer/director Scott Frank knows how to tell a good mystery story, and A Walk Among The Tombstones allowed Neeson to give a fresh take on a grizzled detective character. He stars as the alcoholic New York Police Department Detective Matt Scudder, who leaves law enforcement after accidentally killing a pedestrian during a shootout with a criminal. Scudder is brought back into his old profession when the drug trafficker Kenny Kristo (Dan Stevens) hires him to find his kidnapped wife.

Neeson does a great job of showing the latent motivation for Scudder’s investigation. Although Scudder doesn’t care about Kristo or his family, he’s drawn back into his old line of work as a means of redemption. Although he’s often a dark and brooding character, the film explores Scudder’s personable side as he becomes a mentor to the young boy TJ (Brian Vaughn Bradley Jr.).

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3 ‘The Commuter’ (2018)

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra

While taking the train to work is a daily task for many people, The Commuter turns it into the premise for an exciting mystery thriller. The film follows the insurance agent Michael MacCauley, whose daily commute is thrown off course when the enigmatic woman Joanna (Vera Farmiga) asks him to find a passenger that doesn’t belong. Although MacCauley initially scoffs at Joanna’s “test,” he is forced to solve her “hypothetical” mystery when his family is placed in danger.

The Commuter has a somewhat silly premise, but Neeson does a great job of ensuring that the film doesn’t become a parody. He can hint at MacCauley’s history within the NYPD, showing why he is intrigued by Joanna’s mysterious offer. Although The Commuter is one of Neeson’s more action-packed films, he’s also able to show his comedic side during some of MacCauley’s awkward encounters with other passengers.

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2 ‘Cold Pursuit’ (2019)

Directed by Hans Petter Moland

Cold Pursuit is one of Neeson’s most disturbing films, but also one of his funniest. Based on Hans Petter Moland’s 2014 Norwegian film In Order of Disappearance, Cold Pursuit follows the grieving father Nels Coxman as he seeks vengeance for the death of his son Kyle (Micheál Richardson). Although he’s told that Kyle died of an overdose of heroin, Nels learns that his son was a victim of the ruthless drug lord Trevor Calcote (Tom Bateman), who goes by the moniker “Viking.”

Cold Pursuit employs dark humor as Nels sets traps for his enemies. Nels is a snowplow operator and uses his skills with machinery to take out Viking’s goons in increasingly brutal ways. Although the twisted comedy makes Cold Pursuit an entertaining watch, Neeson can show how all of Nels’ violent actions were taken because he is still processing the loss of Kyle.

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1 ‘Memory’ (2022)

Directed by Martin Campbell

Although director Martin Campbell struck out with his 2011 Green Lantern film, he’s proven time and time again to be a talented action filmmaker. Campbell got the comeback he deserved in 2022 with the action film Memory, which starred Neeson as the aging contract killer Alex Lewis. Although Lewis considers retirement, he is hunted down by the criminals that once employed him after he turns down an assignment.

Neeson is able to show how Lewis’ ethics distinguish him from other killers within his profession. Lewis is hunted down after he refuses to kill a young girl; it’s his refusal to cross a moral line that ends up putting him in danger. Lewis is also dealing with Alzheimer’s, which makes him more vulnerable. Although Lewis has only ever had to rely on himself, he now is unable to trust his own memory.

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