DVD Corner's blog

The Marksman Blu-ray Review

“The Marksman” is better than you might expect.

2021’s “The Marksman” revolves around a former Marine turned rancher (Jim) who resides near the Arizona-Mexico border. While driving one day, he encounters a mother (Rosa) and son (Miguel) who are entering the U.S. and fleeing from the Cartel. Miguel’s Uncle stole from the Cartel and, as such, the Cartel is after Miguel and Rosa. Jim decides to intervene when the Cartel (led by boss Mauricio) shows up to take the two. After a shootout, Mauricio’s brother is killed as is Rosa. Rosa pleads for Jim to take Miguel to family members in Chicago and he decides to honor her request. In order to do so, he has to betray his stepdaughter (who works for border patrol) and outrun Mauircio and his men who are hot on his tail. 

I know what you are all thinking, “Another generic Liam Neeson thriller?” Trust me, I was thinking the same thing. While the story may be basic, familiar, and perhaps resemble several Clint Eastwood films (a clip from a Clint Eastwood movie is amusingly even shown in this movie), “The Marksman” turns out to be quite watchable. 

Under lesser hands, “The Marksman” could have been a dull movie that resembled a made for video title, but under director Robert Lorenz, it’s an intense, fast-paced road movie/chase movie/action-thriller about loss, survival, honor, immigration, and faith. The script by Robert Lorenz, Chris Carles and Danny Kravitz doesn’t bring anything new to the table, but as far as modern action-thrillers go, this one holds your interest from start to finish. Really, that’s all you can ask of for a movie like this as no one is expecting it to be a game changing piece of cinema (which it’s not). 

Even though Liam Neeson seems to crank out these types of movies frequently, he’s always committed to the roles. His screen presence here elevates the movie 100% and he gives the character more depth than is likely even on the page. Juan Pablo Raba impresses as the villain Mauricio, Joe Perez shines as Miguel and has solid chemistry with Neeson and Katheryn Winnick does the best she can with her limited role as Sarah.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.39:1 1080p. How does it look? Expect a crystal clear transfer.

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? The track is quite satisfactory (especially during the shootouts).

Extras:
* DVD copy and Digital copy
* “The Making Of Marksman” featurette

May 2, 2021 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Action Movie, Liam Neeson, The Marksman Blu-ray Review