Liam Neeson: The Creative Assassin
While in La La Land, my buddy and I cruised Sunset in pursuit of the nearest MedMen. The weather was absolute perfection, our windows down and Vulfpeck on the aux. We’ve been best friends since high school. Every time we get together, we make a quick California stop to check in before picking up right where we left off.
The last time I visited, he had just reviewed edits for another one of those Liam Neeson hitmen flicks. You know, the ones that are a fabric of our culture now. “It needed a lot of work,” he said, with a fair bit of anguish. Which otherwise translates to “I don’t wanna talk about it.”
Since then, the film has been released and titled Memory.
Ironically, I had forgotten about the movie.
That is until I turned on my hotel television and the affable voice of Mario Lopez filled the room on the in-suite hospitality channel. He promoted room service, daytime activities, and my buddy’s film. On the drive to the dispensary, I asked if they had turned it around since we last spoke about it—his grimace said it all.
“Remind me,” I baited him, “what’s it about?”
“It’s Taken with Alzheimer’s,” he said.
Which is better than the actual tag: “His mind is fading. His conscience is clear.”
In the film, Liam Neeson plays an assassin who starts exhibiting signs of dementia. What I love about hitman films is they always begin as the killer declares they are retiring. “I’m going to hang it up after this one.” As if they work an honest nine-to-five and will finally collect their 401(k)—no, sir, you’re a criminal.
Next, their handler assigns them a brutal final hit. “If you can do this,” they promise, “you’re free.” But they are never free, are they? This is the only life they’ve ever known.
I started to think that creatives are a lot like assassins.
We have a very particular set of skills. Skills that we have acquired over a very long time. We get the call when there is a complicated problem that needs fixing.
I can hear Liam on the phone now. On the other end of the line, a mysterious foreign idea breathes. Liam mumbles, “I will find you,” his Irish accent completely unmasked,” and when I do, I will present you to the client.”
Anyway, gotta go. The gummy just set in. 😉
