Essential Liam Neeson

Thursday 29th July 2010 - 14:05:22

Liam Neeson has enjoyed a career that has spanned over thirty five years as he has moved from war movies to biographical movies to the big budget pictures.

And this week sees him back in a big budget movie as he takes on the role of John "Hannibal" Smith in the big screen adaptation of The A-Team by Joe Carnahan.

So to celebrate the release of film, which is one of a handful for the actor so far in 2010, we take a look at the Neeson movies that you should have in your collection.

- Darkman

Despite kicking off his movie career in 1978 and appearing in movies such as The Mission and Suspect it was his role in 1990's Darkman that brought him to everyone's attention.

Dr. Peyton Westlake is on the verge of realizing a major breakthrough in synthetic skin when a gang led by sadistic crime boss Robert G. Durant... Dr. Peyton Westlake is on the verge of realizing a major breakthrough in synthetic skin when a gang led by sadistic crime boss Robert G. Durant obliterates his laboratory and leaves Westlake beaten, mutilated and left for dead.
 
An experimental medical procedure saves his life, but Westlake is both physically and psychologically scarred by the event, unable to continue a normal life with his girlfriend.
 
Westlake's only salvation, and his all-consuming purpose in life, becomes the successful pursuit of the synthetic skin formula. To finance his experiments, he takes on a shadowy, enigmatic identity--Darkman, a phantom figure who terrorizes and steals from criminals in the night. But it is only a matter of time before he eventually crosses paths with Durant, the one responsible for his suffering.

Directed by Sam Raimi the movie brought Neeson critical praise as it took $49 million worldwide, easily making back it's $16 million budget.

- Schindler's List

It was 1993 that brought Neeson his most famous role as he Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg's Holocaust epic Schindler's List, which is regarded as one of the best war movies.

The movie saw Neeson star alongside Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes and was based on the novel Schindler's Ark by Thomas Kennedy.

The movie is the true story of Austrian industrialist Oskar Schindler, who harboured Polish Jews during WWII by using them as workers in his factory. Schindler saved 1,100 Jews from certain death.

Schindler's List is the most critically acclaimed movie of both Neeson and Spielberg's career as it went on to be nominated for twelve Oscars and went on to win seven, including Best Picture.

for his performance Neeson was nominated for Best Actor, but lost out to Tom Hanks for Philadelphia. He also picked up nominations at the Baftas and the Golden Globes.

- Michael Collins

Another Golden Globe nomination followed three years later for another biographical movie Michael Collins, the founder of the IRA.

In 1916, in what became known as the Easter Uprising, Irish revolutionaries surrendered after a six-day standoff at Dublin's General Post Office to the overwhelming military power of the British forces. Many followers, including Michael Collins and his close friend Harry Boland, were imprisoned.

Upon their release, they found themselves the new leaders of the Irish independence movement. Collins' efforts to create a free and peaceful country, like the epic history of Ireland itself, would encompass romance and violence, valour and rage, burning hope and fiery tragedy.

It would result in both the triumph of the free Irish Republic and the terror in Northern Ireland that continues to make bloody headlines today. And it would forever change the ways people wage wars of independence.

Despite being criticised for some historical inaccuracies the movie won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and Neeson picked up a second Best Actor nomination at the globes for his powerful central performance.