Liam Neeson has the badass-of-a-certain age character totally locked down. The Marksman has the look of a satisfying if somewhat formulaic modern Western. If your formula includes Liam Neeson and Katheryn Winnick, I’m in…
Here’s the caper:
Neeson stars in The Marksman as hardened Arizona rancher Jim Hanson, who simply wants to be left alone as he fends off eviction notices and tries to make a living on an isolated stretch of borderland. But everything changes when Hanson, an ex-Marine sharpshooter, witnesses 11-year-old migrant Miguel fleeing with his mother Rosa from drug cartel assassins led by the ruthless Mauricio.
After being caught in a shoot-out, a dying Rosa begs Jim to take her son to safety to her family in Chicago. Defying his cop daughter Sarah, Jim sneaks Miguel out of the local U.S. Customs and Border Patrol station and together, they hit the road with the group of killers in pursuit. Jim and Miguel slowly begin to overcome their differences and begin to forge an unlikely friendship, while Mauricio and his fellow assassins blaze a cold-blooded trail, hot on their heels. When they finally meet on a Midwestern farm, a fight to the death ensues as Jim uses his military skills and code of honor to defend the boy he’s come to love.
Looks like ol’ Jim likes his weaponry semi-old-school. Looks like he works an M14 and a first-generation Mini-14.
Did I mentiuon Katheryn Winnick?
Matthew says
The badass with a child to protect is becoming a popular trope. I think the most currently popular example is The Mandalorian (which I haven’t seen.) The best example of this trope I know of is the Japanese comic Lone Wolf and Cub about a samurai traveling with his son. He works as an assassin while plotting revenge against those who dishonored him. After its publication it spread through out Japanese pop culture and is now seeping into America’s.
I think to a certain extent this is because it has become unfashionable to have a woman in need of rescuing.
H.P. @ Hillbilly Highways says
One of the best examples from recent years, Logan, also uses Western tropes in an SF setting.
Queequeg says
Nice pair of rifles!
Greg Marshall says
Another with similar theme is “Léon: The Professional” with Jean Reno. Oldie but goodie.
JimC says
Yes!
Yeoman says
Except if you happen to catch the version that was shown in Europe, which went a bit far on the creepy side. The American version excised the creepiness’ and is better. Unfortunately, if you catch the European one its later impossible to forget and sort of taints the film.
JimC says
Well, that sort of intrigues me…
David C Wrolson says
This “Bad Santa” is sending something your way, care of the newspaper. You obviously can guess what it is, but don’t worry, I had multiple copies anyway.
The thing to remember is that the collections of short stories basically start right where “Quartered Safe” ends. Also, that understated British humor is all over the collection.
I know Craig is a fan of “Quartered Safe” so feel free to send it his way-if he hasn’t found his way to these stories yet.
The thought struck me that I should write something on the Frontier Partisan world of GMF-so there might be something coming your way on that topic. Remember, he comes by it honestly. After all,his father buried Selous.
JimC says
Oh, this is wonderful.
J.F. Bell says
Interesting to see how much of the western literary canon echoes the protagonist wanting to be left alone. Not surprising when you account for the “I’ll do it my-damn-self” mentality to that propelled their forebears across the Ohio, or the Mississippi, or the Rockies in the centuries prior.
As an aside, one could do worse than matching up the M1A and the Mini-14. Something to be said for familiarity, and having a light and medium-bore rifle with matching controls is certainly the pragmatic approach. My only with either always lay with mounting scopes, as both were born and bred for the use of irons and saddling one with glass seemed more trouble than it was worth.
Melodious Thunk says
Yep, nailed it J.F. the word is ornery and THAT is a Northern Thing and I am saying that as a
“Northern-Ling”.
There’s a Don Winslow short story called: The Last Ride………says it all….oh these times
we live in!
Quixotic Mainer says
The proliferation of these neo frontier stories, ala Wind River, Justified, or Hell on High Water really cheers my heart. I admire his workmanly long guns as well. I’ve always wanted to run an M14, especially one of the ones set up as a scout.
JimC says
Yes.
J.F. Bell says
I always wanted one until I tried one. The handling was somewhat better, admittedly, and less weight forward made some difference when shooting offhand, but the gains seemed marginal and I wasn’t a fan of the increase in muzzle blast. Definitely a rifle that calls for double earpro.
If I need a .30-cal autoloader, the M1 usually handles it well enough. If I need more than eight the BAR will suffice.
If I need more than twenty it’s probably a moot point.
JimC says
I have two major firearms-related regrets, both involving selling… hard times, etc. A Marlin .45-70 lever action with the long octagon barrel and a Camp Perry-stamped M1 Garand. Although I must say that I got a LOT of shooting in with the M1 before passing it along. Hadn’t thought about the muzzle-blast on the Scout M14.
Quixotic Mainer says
There’s always those ones that got away! Mine is a Ruger 96/22, I had a chance to buy it cheap, but was overeducated and underemployed and couldn’t. They’re very expensive now. I always admired them, they looked like something John Carter would keep on his saddle.
I can understand the lost love for the Marlin, they’re great weapons. The M1 is another great one that I’m pretty much unacquainted with.
Quixotic Mainer says
I can definitely understand that concern, I shied away from a Ruger Scout because a buddy described it as so noisy that it was unpleasant to shoot.
I’ve had that same round count discussion with shooting friends before. I think it was a USPSA stage that required 40ish rounds to finish. If you let off that many rounds with your sidearm, you’re really in deep crap.
J.F. Bell says
From a practical standpoint, I have all I need. At this point I could likely cut the buying down to once a decade or so and still not cover any new ground. Maybe finish some of those overdue projects.
But one of those paratrooper FALs wouldn’t go amiss, or another Model 12, or any of the pre-lock Smith & Wessons that seem to pop up out of the blue whenever I manage any kind of budget surplus….
Yeoman says
I’m looking forward to this one. The trailers remind me a bit of the second Sicario film, which I might like better than the first (I’m not completely sure).