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WhileTaken‘s success, for better or worse, rebranded Liam Neeson as an action star, the actor initially rose to stardom following his dramatic prowess in Steven Spielberg’sSchindler’s List. On the flip side, Sandra Bullock, whose career has been mostly defined by rom-coms and dramas, originally rose to global stardom due toSpeedandDemolition Man.
Although their careers have rarely intertwined, interestingly, the duo did join forces in the early 2000s for an action comedy, which is often considered one of the most forgettable outings in their filmography.
A quite forgettable collaboration –Gun Shy
ConsideringSandra Bullockwas popping off in the ’90s andLiam Neesonhad starred inStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menacejust a year prior, on paper, a collaboration between the two screamed success. But at the end of the day, it all boils down to the story, and unfortunately inGun Shy‘s case, the story wasn’t its selling point.
The movie sees Neeson in the shoes of an undercover DEA, who relies on an unstable therapy group for his sting operation. But unlike Neeson’s later action features, the movie didn’t shy away from incorporating humor, cheap and offensive humor to be more exact, which did little to entice viewers and critics.
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With a rating of 26% on the Tomatometer,Gun Shyseverely underperformed at the box office, as it only grossed $3.2M from an estimated $14M budget (viaBox Office Mojo).
Liam Neeson’sRetributionisSpeedminus the originality
While both Sandra Bullock and Neeson went on to do bigger and better things post-Gun Shy, the latter’s career, especially in the last decade, has been riddled with some underwhelming action releases. Interestingly, theBatman Beginsstar’s 2023 movie,Retribution, a remake ofEl Desconocido, is pretty reminiscent of Bullock’sbreakout hitSpeed.
The Only Liam Neeson Movie That’s Practically Flawless Is Not ‘Taken’
Instead of a bus, Neeson is held hostage in his Mercedes SUV with his children in the backseat. But unlikeSpeed,Retribution, which aimed to imitate a vibe similar toTaken, failed to make it big among fans and critics. On the bright side, per director Nimród Antal, Neeson was extremely passionate about the craft, and throughout the production process, the actor kept on delivering his best (viaForbes).
All I can say about Liam and this was a man that I spent two months with, every day, and this man showed up with sincere love for the craft and the process. I don’t know his decision-making processes on any given project, but I do know that he is a man who truly not only appreciates it but genuinely loves it
Given how much he has achieved throughout his career, it seems that Neeson is doing these action flicks for fun at this point, and there’s nothing wrong with it.
Gun Shyis available to rent on Apple TV.
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2539
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
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Liam NeesonSandra Bullock
