The Mongoose, 2026.
Directed by Mark Vanselow.
Starring Liam Neeson, Marisa Tomei, Ving Rhames, Michael Chiklis, Brett Tucker, Stella Stocker, Hamish Michael, Toby Truslove, Eddie Baroo, Maurice Marvel Meredith, Nicole Chapman, Jack Kenny, and Yesse Spence.
SYNOPSIS:
A highly decorated combat vet, Ryan ”Fang” Flanagan, is fleeing a murder scene at 130 miles an hour in a Mustang Shelby Super Snake GT350.
In hindsight, it isn’t much of a surprise that director Mark Vanselow (with a screenplay from Thompson Evans) opens his car-chase actioner The Mongoose by throwing viewers directly into that pursuit, as whenever the film does break into a flashback to provide context, the proceedings only get more ludicrous, less compelling, and a waste of everyone involved’s time. Perhaps that isn’t saying much given the track record of the past 10 years or so of Liam Neeson’s filmography, but this is especially dull and dreadful even for his recent roles, here once again playing someone with a special set of skills, a former black-ops, PTSD-stricken soldier who got addicted to prescription drugs and ended up separated from his longtime wife, Tara (Marisa Tomei).
Breaking up the chase, commandeering a red luxury car, are sequences showing Ryan ‘Fang’ Flanagan (Liam Neeson) arguing with Tara about his unhealthy habits or flashbacks to 20 years ago in Afghanistan, in a war zone where he and his squad were captured. Even more unconvincing are whatever de-aging tools they used here. To be clear, none of this has anything to do with the actual pursuit; the reasoning is much stupider.
Nevertheless, everyone from the Arkansas State police to Texas officers gets involved, with Michael Chiklis’ Major Walter Pope in particular determined to bring Ryan to justice, willing to stop at absolutely nothing for reasons that also seem forced and never ring true. Also woven into shots of the car chase (which is horrendously edited, chopping up shots of Liam Neeson in the driver’s seat in conjunction with several other shots that don’t even try to sell the idea that it’s him doing these stunts, which is doubly baffling considering that he has worked with the stunt worker turned filmmaker on many prior projects) are news footage clips featuring real-life CNN anchor Laura Coates.
The momentum fizzles out to the point that stretches of time are filled with Ryan talking to an AI-powered car device, asking random questions that have nothing to do with anything, even if the few interesting factoids are the closest this movie gets to being somewhat interesting. Among the previously mentioned flashbacks are also scenes of Ryan reuniting with his squad (with the reliable Ving Rhames in a small role), who also get involved via choppers offering protection and assistance. Between this and the other minor supporting characters Ryan encounters, there is a strong push of brotherhood among patriots that comes across as corny.
As for the numerous chase sequences, sure, there are plenty of flipped vehicles, collisions, and more, but again, it’s all edited far too chaotically and incoherently. By the time the narrative reveals what the title refers to, it’s hard not to be checked out already. Not even the occasional hand-to-hand fight or shootout involving Liam Neeson muster that much excitement here. The Mongoose is a mon-snooze.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder
Originally published October 28, 2026. Updated October 29, 2026.
