Liam Neeson’s Non-Stop Action Thriller Has One Crazy Twist — It’s Director
Liam Neeson's longtime stuntman, Mark Vanselow, is stepping into the director's chair for the first time with the action thriller The Mongoose. Having doubled for Neeson for over 20 years across films such as the Taken series, Cold Pursuit and The Commuter, Vanselow says the move from stunt coordinator to director came naturally, aided by producers Bart Rosenblatt and Al Corley and Neeson's own backing. The pairing matters because it brings a stuntman's practical, safety-conscious approach to a genre often defined by spectacle over craft.
The Mongoose follows Neeson as veteran Ryan "Fang" Flanagan, who accidentally steals a high-tech car with a built-in AI assistant and ends up in a cross-country chase pursued by police, helicopters and Michael Chiklis's vengeful Texan lawman. Vanselow emphasises close-combat action Neeson can perform himself where possible, while the car itself serves as a central character in the film's stunt work, overseen by stunt coordinator Chris Weir. Beneath the action, the film also touches on how America treats military veterans, with Fang becoming a folk hero to fellow ex-soldiers. The Mongoose is released in cinemas on 30 October.
- Neeson's stuntman Mark Vanselow directs his first film, The Mongoose
- Plot follows a veteran's cross-country chase after stealing an AI-equipped car
- Film also explores veterans' treatment in America; out 30 October
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Mark Vanselow has spent more than 20 years as Liam Neeson's stunt double, working on films including the Taken series, Cold Pursuit and The Commuter. He is now directing for the first time, with The Mongoose, backed by producers Bart Rosenblatt and Al Corley and by Neeson himself.
The film stars Neeson as a veteran named Ryan "Fang" Flanagan, who unwittingly steals a car fitted with an AI assistant and finds himself pursued across the country by police and a Texan lawman played by Michael Chiklis. Alongside the chase and stunt sequences, the story also explores how veterans are treated in America.
The pairing is notable because a director with a stunt background, rather than a purely creative one, is taking charge of an action film, potentially shaping how the physical sequences are shot and performed. The Mongoose is due in cinemas on 30 October.