Neeson’s scenes with Shaw, who created and starred in the scrappy Showtime series “SMILF”, have a touching authenticity, and Ross’s character is so spiky and warm she offers relief from Punchy’s soggy self-centeredness.

| Nov 5, 2024

The movie tries to make up for its lack of propulsion through various means, with mixed results.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Nov 5, 2024

Just about everybody in “Absolution” gets what they deserve, for better or worse or death.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Nov 3, 2024

“Absolution” is only interesting insofar as an entry into the Neeson canon, but not as its own film. The script is derivative, trading in tired tropes and stereotypes, lacking in any real insights or even local color.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Nov 3, 2024

[Neeson]’s trapped once again in tired tough guy material, bringing gravity to a film that’s already dragging him — and the audience — down.

| Nov 2, 2024

An overlong and dramatically undernourished work that tries for a little bit to be more than just a run-of-the-mill Neeson action extravaganza before eventually becoming just that.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Nov 1, 2024

Neeson’s performance isn’t the problem (he’s perfected this archetype and then some), but even the most probing moments reverberate with self-parody.

| Original Score: C | Oct 31, 2024

You can always sense what’s around the plot corner, and that obviousness is a killer, blunting the power of “Absolution’s” redeeming qualities.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Oct 30, 2024

Absolution remains gripping even if Tony Gayton’s screenplay doesn’t always avoid cliché and contrivance, particularly in a final act that stretches to cover too much ground.

| Oct 30, 2024