The Liability (2012) Reviews

• A light look at the retirement of a hit man. Just OK

  kenyajon2013-03-05

  Tim Roth plays a hit man on his final job before his daughter gets married. Adam (Jack O'Connell) is an annoying 19 year old who accidentally discovers that his step father is more depraved than he thought. After crashing his step father's Mercedes, he is in his debt and he is given a job as a driver to pay him back. His contact is Roy (Tim Roth) and they go on Roy's last hit together. Wanting to be part of the gangster culture, Adam asks to be more than just a driver and things start to go wrong, especially when 'the girl' gets involved. The film is quite light hearted, considering its content and, at times is comical. Both lead actors play their parts quite well and create an enjoyable partnership. The storyline is a little week and everything that can go wrong, does goes wrong. I found myself rooting for Adam in the end and, despite being a professional killer, Roth's character is quite appealing. Overall, a mediocre film that I will not watch again but it was reasonably enjoyable, light hearted and funny in places.

• A film I'd like to make myself

  OJT2013-11-21

  A little indie gem this from Britain, with a good Tim Roth in the center as a worn out disillusioned hit-man, but it's Peter Mullan which steals the show, with a delightfully nasty big shot criminal. There's many reasons to like this, if you don't expect this to be an action flick. It's wrongfully labeled so, but this is a a crime drama, or really a road movie, Coen/Tarantino style. 1) Unpredictable mysterious plot (gives a good ride) 2) Great cool acting (stung cool play by all, but the naive Liability) 3) Extinguished filming (lots if great angles and smart details) 4) Delightful score (sophisticated, punky and dirty, would search out several songs) 5) Classic cars (loved the use and filming of the Granada Ghia) And there's more to it. I found myself feeling it as a cozy road movie which we expect to go wrong for some. Lovely lingering excitement, taking you to the next stop on the route. If you like one of them smart little films with no extra fuzz, just great talent, this is it!

• Saved by Tim Roth

  bowmanblue2014-10-20

  The Liability is a British film which doesn't really have a budget. Its script is only so-so and the only real star name attached to it is Tim Roth. Luckily, that does seem to be enough to pull it off. Jack O'Connell plays a young man who gets in trouble with his - slightly dodgy - stepfather and, as a punishment, is roped into the 'family business' and asked to do something equally dodgy, which involves driving hit-man Tim Roth to his next job. It's a road movie which could be pretty average if it wasn't for Tim Roth's performance. The comedy doesn't always work. The performances can be a bit stilted, yet Tim seems to carry the whole thing on his own and makes it worth watching. Special mention to the location scout who has found some truly outstanding filming locations around the north of England to set some of the action in. If you're a fan of low budget British gangster movies (or simply of Tim Roth) then you should give this a go. The ending seems to divide audiences, but the film is enjoyable enough for you to ignore that minor point if it isn't to your taste.

• Definitely Worth Watching

  CharlieHound2013-01-27

  Totally unbelievable... but humorous! I still can't decide if it's supposed to be a comedy, a thriller or a gangster movie, or all of the above... Or whether it was just a bit of tongue-in-cheek fun for the writer. The movie contains a complete mishmash of actors. It's like Laurel and Hardy meets Reservoir Dogs and everything about it is just so wrong but somehow it works! I think Tim Roth is the reason this movie worked so well. The guy is an excellent actor. Jack O'Connell played a fairly good part, too, and even though the movie was quite predictable, it was well worth the watch. Definitely worth 7/10

• Roth Makes it Work

  billcr122013-03-24

  Tim Roth stars in The Liability as a hired assassin who takes on a rich gangster boss's stepson on as a driver. The nineteen year old boy, Adam, is eager to learn about the criminal world. Roy(Roth) has the kid drive to a desolate area for a hit. His first test is to cut off the victims hand with an axe to emulate the pattern of a serial killer preying on the area. A beautiful woman with no name (Talulah Riley), a stunning actress, by the way, shows up and throws a monkey wrench into the crime scene. It then becomes a cat and mouse game between the three with some violent moments with occasional dry British humor mixed in. The three main players are all excellent, and although the ending is a bit too predictable, Roth's laid back wise ass attitude makes the film worth watching.