Tonight's Movie: The Mongoose (2026)

I usually enjoy Liam Neeson action movies, no matter how old he gets (grin), and when I recently saw a poster for THE MONGOOSE (2026) at my local theater, I was intrigued,

A supporting cast including "Aunt May" (Marisa Tomei) from the most recent SPIDER-MAN movies and "Luther" (Ving Rhames) from the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise? Sold.

As the film begins, Ryan "Fang" Flanagan (Neeson) is driving a fancy car at top speeds, with the police in hot pursuit.

As the story unfolds, partly told in flashbacks and partly through interactions with the car's computer (voiced by Stella Stocker), we learn that Flanagan is a decorated combat veteran. He's remained on good terms with his ex-wife Tara (Tomei), who left him due to his ongoing PTSD issues, and when she's beaten by her fiancee Todd (Brett Tucker) he volunteers to go to Todd's house and retrieve her possessions.

Flanagan is doing just that when an emotionally unbalanced Todd shows up and immediately begins threatening Flanagan with a gun. Flanagan is shot in the leg and forced to defend himself, and after a brutal brawl Todd has a fatal fall.

Flanagan, because of extremely bad experiences being imprisoned and tortured in Afghanistan, cannot face the idea of being arrested, so instead of attempting to sort things out with police he instead goes on the run.

Ultimately Flanagan's plan is to head for Mexico, aided by two service buddies (Rhames and Marcus Thomas) in a chopper. Due to live coverage of the chase from CNN, other veterans also come to Flanagan's aid.

I found THE MONGOOSE only moderately entertaining. The screenplay, written by Thompson Evans, was a rather odd premise, taking the "innocent man on the run" theme to extremes. The wartime flashbacks, incorporated to explain present-day behavior, were a little more disturbing than I enjoy watching.

Those intense flashbacks were also incongruous alongside Michael Chiklis's performance as a cartoon sheriff in Texas who's right out of THE DUKES OF HAZZARD, and the screenplay doesn't do itself any favors by referring to Texas law enforcement in highly prejudicial terms. "Slanted" doesn't begin to cover the script's political attitude.

All this said, I was still glad I went to see it, as it was a reasonably entertaining 98 minutes despite its flaws. I'm a "glass is half full" viewer, and even imperfect films have their place as entertainment, as I've experienced multiple times over the past week.

I also always appreciate when a film knows not to wear out its welcome and has a relatively short running time by modern standards.

The movie's theme, with Neeson mostly driving a car, harkens back to his superior film of a few years ago, RETRIBUTION (2023). The storyline is plausible for an actor of Neeson's age, and he's always a compelling screen presence. Any time with Neeson is generally a good time for me, and he imbues Flanagan with a nice mix of humor and emotion.

I also appreciated the film's considerable use of practical driving stunts. The film's first-time director, Mark Vanselow, has a long career as a stunt coordinator, including extensive credits with Neeson, so that aspect of the film is well done.

Tomei is sympathetic as the loving wife who felt her marriage had been backed into a dead end with her husband being unable to move on from the effects of his PTSD. She and Neeson only actually share a couple scenes onscreen, but they have believable chemistry as a couple who have known one another for decades. The rest of Tomei's scenes have her interacting over the phone, and I suspect her role probably only took a week or so to film.

Rhames is always a welcome presence, and Thomas previously worked with Neeson in THE ICE ROAD (2021). Maurice Marvel Meredith does a nice job as a sheriff who attempts to talk Flanagan into giving himself up to law enforcement.

A minor yet not unimportant side note: I liked that the film makes clear the fate of Tara's cat!

THE MONGOOSE was filmed by Tom Stern. I appreciated that, unlike many modern films, it wasn't "brown" but was instead a normal color palette.

This movie is rated R, mostly for the wartime flashback scenes. Here is the trailer.

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