As noted on 12.2, Paul Greengrass‘s News of the World (Universal 12.25), George Clooney‘s The Midnight Sky (Netflix, 12.23) and Eduardo Ponti‘s The Life Ahead (Netflix, now streaming) share a basic plot. Which is…
A crusty, grizzled protagonist of advanced years and precarious positioning (Clooney’s Augustine Lofthouse, Tom Hanks‘ Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, Sophia Loren‘s Madame Rosa) is suddenly responsible for the well-being of an anxious, distant, shell-shocked youth who needs comfort and direction, and maybe a bit of love.
Now comes a fourth — Robert Lorenz‘s The Marksman (Open Road, 1.22), about a grizzled 60ish fellow (Liam Neeson) trying to help a young migrant boy get to his family in Chicago after his mother is killed by drug cartel baddies.