Liam Neeson Will Be Out For Revenge In The Rockies In ‘Hard Powder’
Ever sinceLiam Neesonfought through a long line of bad guys to get his daughter back inTaken, he’s starred in more than enough action thrillers where he’s out for revenge or trying to save someone he loves. We thought we may have finally seen the last of them withTaken 3in 2014 andRun All Nightin 2015. But we were mistaken.
At the Berlin Film Market next month, an action thriller calledHard Powderwill be shopped around that has Liam Neeson seeking vengeance in the Rocky Mountains. So it’s not unlike The Grey meets any other Liam Neeson thriller from the past decade. Find out Powderafter the jump.
Here’s what the synopsis forHard Powdersays (viaVariety):
Nels, an upright snowplow driver, awarded a Citizen of the Year prize by his glitzy Colorado ski town, has his life turned upside down when his son is murdered by a powerful local drug kingpin. Fueled by an unwavering drive for vengeance and armed with heavy machinery, this unlikely hero sets out to dismantle the cartel with extreme prejudice, and he’s not stopping until he gets to the top of the food chain.
However, this drive for revenge ends up creating a turf war between a Native American mafia boss and the Viking, described as “a fastidious gangster who wears Tom Ford suits, is a vegan, drives a Tesla and murders people.” Well, this sounds like it just might be ridiculous enough to be entertaining.
Hard Powderwill be directed byHans Petter Moland(Aberdeen), written byFrank Baldwin(The Warriorsreboot) and produced byMichael Shamberg(Pulp Fiction, Eric Brockovich). The film, which is based on a Norwegian film calledIn Order of Disapperance, already has full financing from Studiocanal, who will distribute the film in several international territories, though a US distributor still has to be found.
Studiocanal is making some pretty bold comparisons by saying Liam Neeson’s character inHard Powderis “a hero in the mold of Clint Eastwood inUnforgivenor Bruce Willis inDie Hard.” I guess if you’re going to shoot for the moon, those are two solid action characters to help drum up some excitement. Making even more references to other cinematic inspirations, Studiocanal’s executive vice president Ron Halpern says the movie is aiming for a “cool tone and classic archetypes” along the lines ofGet ShortyandOut of Sight.
This could either turn out surprisingly good, or it could just be another generic action movie. Since this is coming out of the Berlin Film Market, there’s a chance it could just disappear and never be heard from again. But with all these pieces in place, it sounds like we’ll see it eventually.
