Over the past couple months my wife complained almost every
day about the oppressive heat she was enduring in Panama. I always retorted
with indignation while looking out my frostbitten windows and telling her that
I could solve her problems immediately with a return home.
The words proved prophetic yesterday after a couple days of
intense snow melting when this seemingly indestructible winter returned in
force. Temperatures headed south assisted by some of the strongest winds yet
this winter and that’s a statement in and of itself. I’m thinking next year’s Panamanian
sojourn will be extended into April based on her first few days back. She didn’t
even think the mid-forties temperature of the prior couple days were as “balmy”
as the winter hardened New Englanders did.
The driveway from hell contributed to the adventure, as
required, by converting the day’s snow melt into a two inch thick river of ice
across the entrance. My wife was aghast when we pulled in after the movie but I
said this was a minor compared to some of the earlier efforts from this infernal
portal. She then understood why I stopped to buy some rock salt on the way home,
a standard operating procedure for this winter.
Breaking my string of dateless date nights, we took in the
movie Run All Night which stars Liam Neeson and Ed Harris as aging New York
City Irish mobsters. Their characters grew up as brothers and Neeson served as
Harris’ designated assassin. The toll on Neeson’s soul was palatable as he’s
become a drunken has been when the movie starts. They both have adult sons who
are brought into conflict through a gaping plot hole but that, at least, allows
the action to kick into high gear.
Neeson sheds his alcoholic haze as soon as his son is
threatened and proceeds to go all Brian Mills on legions of overweight Irish
thugs while at the same time dodging the police as well as Common as a laser designated
assassin sent after them. The action is pretty much non-stop after the
catalyzing scene and while that is worthwhile you should see this movie for the
scenes between Neeson and Harris. Both actors are in top form and you get a
real sense of two old friends who reluctantly allow the mobster “guy code” to
fracture their close relationship. This is definitely a “guy flick” as there
are no female characters allowed any depth whatsoever. As with any action movie
there are times when you have to suspend disbelief, such as how Neeson could be
falling down drunk in the late afternoon transforming into the Millsian killing
machine by early evening. Good movie with a lot of depth, all of it supplied by
Harris and Neeson.
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