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Many people would argue that Ray Liotta's best days are behind him since he hasn't played a really good part since he took the role of Henry Hill in Goodfellas.
It's easy to dismiss his lackluster performances in recent box office flops such as Observe and Report and he even did a poor job playing HIMSELF in Bee Movie. But with that said, there is a mountain of talent underneath ready to reemerge.
Why do I say that you ask? In La Linea - which translates to 'The Line' - he plays veteran assassin Mark Shields, who is involved in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the unstable and esoteric new head of the Salazar crime cartel.
The cartel used to be run by a deviant chap by the name of Salazar, but when he falls ill he hands over control of the deadly organisation to Pelon, which in turn sparks a range of petty power struggles within the group.
As I mentioned Pelon is unstable (to say the least) and in order to make a quick buck, he decides to try and make a drug deal with a group of terrorists, much to the dismay of the US government. So, does the government seek a diplomatic and bureaucratic approach to deal with this situation ... erm, no, they hire a hitman to bring him down! The only problem is that while Shields is a skilled professional, he is fighting some personal demons that often cloud his judgment.
Through several well-placed twists of fate (top marks for James Cotten's directing skills), Shields ends up with a local woman called Olivia who just so happens to be fighting her own demons. It's a classic case of who's the most messed up psychologically, and this theme is the very essence of their turbulent relationship.
Liotta does a superb job and manages to give a two-dimensional character a bit of substance, keeping the audience interested in a character that offers more than what you'd expect from a hitman.
It's all too easy to lose track of the emotional and personal elements in a film like this - when action is the main component, it tends to overshadow everything else (which incidentally is why I'm apprehensive about seeing The Expendables).
The movie is set in the breathtaking backdrop of Tijuana, Mexico, which really adds to the authenticity of the action on-screen. And, it's not just the stars of this film that make it special, the supporting cast are brilliant too, each contributing something different and wonderful to the production.
I find that in order to make any project really successful, a team effort is required and if even one person fails to do their job properly, everyone else's efforts are pointless. Yes, the plot is slightly over-the-top and very action driven (some great shooting sequences and, of course, some noisy explosions), but there is definitely more to this movie than meets the eye.
Showing in: Cineco, Seef II and Saar Cineplex
