The Mongoose (2026) Samuel Goldwyn/Action-Thriller RT: 99 minutes Rated R (some violence, bloody images and language) Director: Mark Vanselow Screenplay: Thompson Evans Music: Michael Yezerski Cinematography: Tom Stern Release date: October 30, 2026 (US) Cast: Liam Neeson, Marisa Tomei, Ving Rhames, Marcus Thomas, Michael Chiklis, Brett Tucker, Maurice Marvel Meredith, Stella Stocker (voice), Ryan Morgan, Laura Coates, Geoff Morrell, Charles Allen, Jack Kenny, Dor Gvirtsman, Hamish Michael, Eddie Baroo.
Rating: ***
A lot has been made of the latest Liam Neeson vehicle The Mongoose taking a quick ride to streaming (it arrived on Nov. 4) after being leaked online about two months prior to its theatrical release. As a result of this, Goldwyn reduced the number of theaters that would be getting it to just over 1000 screens. It opened to a low-octane gross of only $700,000 against a $20M budget. To its credit, it’s currently the number one movie on Prime Video. Also to its credit, it’s pretty good.
Neeson, continuing his run as the Charles Bronson of this generation, mostly stays behind the wheel of a Shelby Mustang as Ryan “Fang” Flanagan, a former Green Beret running from the law after accidentally killing the abusive boyfriend of his ex-wife Tara (Tomei, The Wrestler). He suffers from PTSD related to his time as a POW in Afghanistan. He and his men were captured and brutalized by the Taliban. They escaped at the cost of the life of one of their brothers-in-arms. Fang refuses to become a prisoner again. This is why he jumps into the Mustang (property of abusive bf) and speeds towards the Mexican border with police and feds in hot pursuit.
The one most determined to stop Flanagan in his tracks is Texas Highway Patrol Major Pope (Chiklis, The Senior). He doesn’t care how many rules he has to break or how many lives he puts at risk; his only concern is not letting Flanagan get away. The problem is not too many people share this sentiment. The public, veterans in particular, sympathizes with the war hero. CNN reporter Laura Coates (as herself) shows the pursuit in real time even shedding her objectivity to show her support.
Flanagan gets a lot of help from the car’s AI assistant Helene (voice of Stocker) who’s a whiz at finding him alternate routes when those pesky road blocks pop up. He also receives air support from his friends and fellow POWs Tanker (Rhames, Pulp Fiction) and Munch (Thomas, The Ice Road 1 & 2) who follow in a “borrowed” helicopter.
The Mongoose is the first directorial effort from Mark Vanselow. This isn’t his first time working with Neeson. He’s been the actor’s stunt double on several films including the Taken trilogy. A stunt coordinator by trade, he knows how to stage an action sequence. This is a good thing considering The Mongoose is essentially an extended car chase not unlike Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974) and Smokey and the Bandit (1977). Vanselow keeps things moving along nicely. Too bad the choppy narrative gets in the way. The frequent flashbacks disrupt the momentum. The action feels choppy rather than fluid.
The film’s editorial rhythm suffers a severe breakdown whenever Vanselow attempts to splice high-speed highway navigation with wartime trauma. Instead of using flashbacks as a thematic bridge to deepen Fang’s psychological panic, the editing chops aggressively back and forth with jarring, abrupt transitions. These sudden cuts yank the audience out of the asphalt-burning immediacy of the chase and drop them awkwardly into grainy overseas imprisonment memories, destroying any momentum the vehicle pursuits managed to build.
Neeson slips comfortably into his late-career archetype- the weary, honorable combat veteran driven by past trauma and an absolute refusal to be caged. Spending much of the runtime behind the wheel of a Shelby Super Snake rather than throwing punches, Neeson relies on his gravel-voiced gravitas and physical exhaustion to sell the psychological weight of a man on the run. The film surrounds Neeson with a recognizable roster of tough-guy character actors. Chiklis brings plenty of heavy-set, antagonistic bluster to his law enforcement role, while Rhames and the supporting military brothers-in-arms provide a tight-knit sense of loyalty. Tomei’s role is sadly brief, but she still gives it all she’s got as the ex-wife who still loves and supports the shell of the man she once loved.
It’s far from perfect nor is it one of Liam’s best, but The Mongoose still manages to entertain if you take it for what it is. It’s a B-level actioner that makes for ideal Saturday afternoon viewing. It’s the sort of flick I would have made a beeline for in the 80s. I get that the 74YO star is slowing down. He might not have too many more action flicks left in him. It would be easy for some to mock him as being too old for this s***. Me, I love this s***. I hope Liam keeps going until he physically cannot. I’ll keep showing up if he does.
