"Last Vegas" and "Run All Night"

I love watching movies on airplanes, because I inevitably end up watching films that I never would have otherwise. Today, let's talk about "Last Vegas" from 2013 and "Run All Night" from 2015. Neither are especially good films, but I count them as lucky finds worth another look in retrospect.


"Last Vegas" is one of those films built around the hook of putting a group of older actors together for life-affirming shenanigans. A lot of these movies have involved heists, and Morgan Freeman shows up in a high percentage of them. He's in this one too, playing Archie, one of four childhood friends who grew up together in Brooklyn, but are now scattered across the country. The other three are Sam (Kevin Kline), Paddy (Robert DeNiro), and Billy (Michael Douglas), who is finally getting married after decades of bachelorhood. A bachelor party is in order, so everyone heads for Las Vegas, though Paddy has to be tricked into coming because he and Billy have been on bad terms for several years.


I've seen this formula played out a few times too many over the years, especially with the "Book Club" films. "Last Vegas," however, is in the running for having the best execution of it that I've seen yet. This is a genuinely entertaining, feel-good watch, and lives up to the talent involved in a way that too few of these films do. It'll probably come off as too pandering and pleasant for some, with contrivances piled upon contrivances, but all the characters are well fleshed-out, and their relationships are well constructed. Billy and Paddy end up getting into a love triangle with a lounge singer named Diane (Mary Steenburgen), and the romantic scenes actually work as romantic scenes. Each of the four leads gets a personal subplot, a chance to banter with their fellow screen legends, and a few good laughs and moments of pathos. It's honestly lovely to see.


I'm sure I was influenced by the fact that I was watching "Last Vegas" ten years after it was made. The lead actors are now in their late 70s and 80s, and we don't see them onscreen as much anymore. Midrange comedies like this aren't common either, at least not as theatrical releases. Older audiences only seem to be getting more underserved as time goes by. Frankly, it's been a long time since I've seen any studio comedy for older audiences as well put together as "Last Vegas," with this kind of budget and cast. I don't see more coming anytime soon, so we'd better appreciate the ones we have.


Now, on to "Run All Night," which is one of four action thrillers that Jaume Collet-Serra has made with Liam Neeson. They always remind me of the gritty 70s B-movies that used to star Charles Bronson, full of improbable standoffs and desperate men. "Run All Night" struck me as a very solid picture, maybe even the best of all their collaborations. Sure, it's a little long and the visual flourishes are a bit much, but it boasts an unusually strong cast, a good premise, and a rare opportunity for Neeson to play against type.


In "Run All Night," Neeson is Jimmy Conlon, a hitman for one of Boston's Irish mobs, who has become a grimy drunk with age. His adult son Mike (Joel Kinnaman) will have nothing to do with him. His sympathetic boss, Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris), is a childhood friend who keeps Jimmy on the payroll regardless. All the violence and mayhem is kicked off by Shawn's screwup son Danny (Boyd Holbrook), who Jimmy is forced to kill in order to stop him from shooting Mike. Shawn retaliates, setting both the mob and the police against the Conlons. Other characters include a police detective played by Vincent D'Onofrio, an assassin played by Common, and Nick Nolte in a role I won't spoil.


There are all of the usual car chases and shootouts that you would expect from an action movie, but underpinning this is a pretty sturdy story about father-son conflict, with Neeson playing a regretful hitman who is trying very hard for an eleventh hour redemption. Early scenes show him being pathetic and sleazy, trying to numb the pain with alcohol, while Kinnaman manages to not come off as an asshole for rejecting his help over and over again. It presents a nice contrast to Neeson's recent run of male power fantasy vehicles like "Taken," since Jimmy can't dodge any consequences and his kid doesn't trust him at all.


To be sure, if you've seen any similar media, every twist and turn is telegraphed far in advance, but the performances are good, and it feels like there are honest efforts being made from everyone involved to do right by the material. I know exactly why I skipped this movie the first time around, but I'm glad I got to take a second look.

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