Rog's Movie Viewpoint

Trying to save his Arizona ranch, the last thing loner and ex-Marine Jim Hanson (Liam Neeson) needs is more trouble. When he encounters migrants Rosa (Teresa Ruiz) and her 11-year-old son Miguel (Jacob Perez) running from drug cartel assassins, more trouble comes his way. Promising Rosa he will get Miguel to relatives in Chicago, the hardened Hanson and the young fugitive reluctantly take a dangerous road trip. An unlikely friendship develops as the killers, led by relentless Mauricio (Juan Pablo Raba), get closer. With Liam Neeson the main attraction, a full-blown action thriller is expected. But this latest attempt at making a modern western is surprisingly short on action and thrills. Director Robert Lorenz, who helmed the Clint Eastwood baseball drama "Trouble with the Curve", spends most of this film's length on drama and emotion. Mr. Neeson is up to the task, but this is not what the fans look forward to with a title like "The Marksman". The screenplay by

A few years after the tragic death of their son, retired sheriff George Blackledge (Kevin Costner) and his wife Margaret (Diane Lane) face another change in life. Daughter-in-law Lorna (Kayli Carter) remarries and takes their only grandson away from them. The Blackledges leave their Montana ranch and head for the Dakotas to find their grandchild, who now resides with controlling matriarch Blanche Weboy (Lesley Manville) and her vicious clan. After the Weboys refuse to let mother and child go, George and Margaret prepare for a deadly confrontation. Striking emotional drama and a powerful cast highlight this intense modern western. Based on Larry Watson's novel of the same name, director/screenwriter Thomas Bezucha ("The Family Stone") has created an imposing portrayal of family, loss and determination. It follows the structure of "High Noon": character-driven, with the bulk of action at the end. The deliberate slow-pacing allows the main characters to develop whi