The British actor faces a new challenge in the movie Time Trial, which hits theaters August 31 in Mexico
With his skills and special training, Liam Neeson’s characters have navigated the most dangerous situations in cinema, but no mission seems more complicated than saving the relationship with his children for which he was unprepared.
As German businessman Oskar Schindler saved more than a thousand Jews from death in World War II in “Shindler’s List”; In “The Phantom Menace”, from the “Star Wars” series, his character “Qui-Gon Jin” was a respected Jedi Masterand how former agent Bryan Millsfrom “Relentless Pursuit”, was an action hero for whom nothing is impossible as he accomplished feats of intelligence, completed hand-to-hand combat and mastered weapons.
Now, with his new film Time Trial, which hits theaters August 31 in Mexico, Neeson must save the day again, but with a difference: his character, “Matt Turner,” is an ordinary and vulnerable man who wants a strong one Build a bond with his children, which, for director Nimród Antal, represents a closeness to the public.
“His other films are confronted with this role; Again, Liam is a lonely man who wants to solve all his problems on his own, but his stubbornness is confronted by his family, who contact him. Then Liam’s character has to wake up if he’s going to save the lives of those he loves and his marriage,” Antalen said in an interview.
In the film “Matt Turner” (Neeson), his obsession with work alienates him from his family. On the one day he decides to take his kids to school, he discovers that someone has planted a bomb in his truck to manipulate it: no one will get out of the car until “Matt” fulfills all that the terrorist demands of him.
Everyone would expect Liam’s character to save the day with his military prowess like in Relentless Pursuit or recently in Black Light (2022), but no.
“In all his films he is a man who solves everything with his special abilities, but not in this film, he is just trying to form a strong bond with his children to escape the attack alive, in this role he is. “Just a father who takes care of his children and that will make it recognizable to a lot of people,” Nimród elaborates.
The filmmaker reiterates that beyond the tension, the family theme was important, as was the dynamic between them: “Matt Turner’s” (Neeson) daughter and son are in the car where the bomb was planted.
“What gives the film its heart is the familial dysfunction that is at stake in seeing them go through their own experiences beyond the suspenseful elements. I felt like it was really the relationships in the car between brothers, father and daughter or son and father that made it work, that relationship that “Matt” tries to heal as the conflict progresses.
form a team
Nimród explains that he came on request to lead the project. The final factor in agreeing to produce the film was that LiamNeeson starred in it, knowing full well that the end result would depend on the quality of the actors.
“I’m always nervous no matter who the actors are because I want to live up to expectations and make sure the actors feel like they have a partner in me. But when you work with someone like Liam, a lot of the heavy lifting is already done.”
“The director’s job is just about being there for them and making them feel safe and comfortable. The actors appreciate it and also when you realize there’s a moment where we just slow down to focus on what needs to be done.”
Nimród, who has worked on films like ‘Control’ (2007) and ‘Predators’ (2010) and directed episodes of the ‘Stranger Things’ series, says his next step is to show his own stories, who he is Write.
Neeson, meanwhile, awaits the release of three more films while the actors’ union strike he is a part of is settled.
TC