Liam Neeson Leads Gritty New Police Action Thriller With Ving Rhames and More

Liam Neeson is back in action mode—yes, again—with a brand new thriller headed to theaters this fall. This one’s called 'The Mongoose,' and if you’ve been dying to watch Neeson tear across the country dodging the law, well, congratulations.

What the Heck is 'The Mongoose'?

Here’s the setup: Neeson plays Ryan 'Fang' Flanagan, a war hero whose life takes a sharp turn when he’s accused of a crime he (allegedly) didn’t commit. With his reputation shredded and nothing to lose, Flanagan decides to go full fugitive, leading the police on a wild cross-country car chase—oh, and the whole thing is televised. Because of course it is.

The Cast: Heavy Hitters, No Slackers

Neeson isn’t alone here—he’s got some serious backup on screen:

• Marisa Tomei ('My Cousin Vinny')—always a welcome sight, and you know she’s going to bring some heart (and probably a few good one-liners).
• Ving Rhames (the 'Mission: Impossible' series)—if someone’s getting chased or doing the chasing, Rhames is a good bet to have involved.
• Michael Chiklis ('The Shield')—if anyone forgot, Chiklis makes a living playing hard-nosed guys who live for high-stress situations.

The Behind-the-Scenes Angle (And It’s a Fun One)

Here’s something not everyone will catch at first glance: The movie is directed by Mark Vanselow. If that name doesn’t ring any bells, he’s actually Neeson’s longtime stunt double—the guy who’s spent over 20 projects throwing himself in front of whatever Liam Neeson is supposed to be running from (or towards). They worked together all the way back in 'Taken' and across nearly every bone-breaking, car-chasing job since. Vanselow stepping into the director’s chair is an interesting move, and honestly, if you want authenticity in your action scenes, hiring the guy who’s done all the falling could actually pay off.

As for the script, it’s coming from Thompson Evans—not a household name (yet), but that keeps things unpredictable. Code Entertainment and Jupiter Peak Productions are handling the financing, and the producing credits read like a who’s who of indie-to-mid-budget action: Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt, Eugene Musso. The executive producer bloc is even bigger, with names like Jonathan Dana, Lisa Wilson, and Craig Chapman getting in on the action.

Studio Talk…

The folks at Samuel Goldwyn Films aren’t hiding their excitement. Here’s their pitch, straight from Peter Goldwyn and Ben Feingold:

'The Mongoose is exactly the kind of crowd-pleasing thriller that audiences want to experience on the big screen. Mark Vanselow brings an authenticity to the action that only someone who has spent decades alongside Liam could deliver, and with Marisa Tomei, Ving Rhames, and Michael Chiklis rounding out the cast, we couldn’t be more excited to bring this film to US audiences this year.'

This marks yet another Neeson/Goldwyn collaboration, since they just teamed up on the recent thriller 'Cold Storage.' Seems they can’t quit each other.

The Bottom Line

If your idea of a good night out involves Neeson, fast cars, and a cross-country manhunt, 'The Mongoose' is coming right up in the fall. Big cast, action crew credentials, and the live-TV car chase angle means, at the very least, it shouldn’t be boring.