The plot follows a rancher and former Marine (Liam Neeson), living in an Arizona border town, who must help a young boy (Jacob Perez) escape a Mexican drug cartel.
[6] Former US Marine Corps Scout Sniper and Vietnam War veteran Jim Hanson, a widower, lives along the Arizona-Mexico border with his dog, Jackson.
Hanson and Miguel flee to a nearby hill, where they witness the gang cartel arrive and roughly question the officer (who awoke from unconsciousness), then shoot him dead.
The film ends with the seriously wounded Hanson getting on a bus, slowly finding a seat, lifting his eyes in remembrance of his dead wife, then smiling and breathing his last.
The site's critics consensus reads, "The Marksman benefits from having Liam Neeson in the lead, but this formulaic action thriller should have aimed higher.
[24] Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times wrote: "Predictable to a fault, the movie coasts pleasurably on Neeson's seasoned, sad-sweet charisma.
"[28] Michael O'Sullivan at The Washington Post rated the film 2/4 stars, writing that it "proves itself to be the cinematic version of comfort food: satisfyingly familiar but full of starch and empty calories.
"[29] Owen Gleiberman at Variety, gave a more negative review, stating "Lorenz stages the action with a convincing ebb and flow, but thanks to an undercooked script what happens in between is mostly boilerplate.
"[30] David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave the film a Cā and wrote "...The Marksman might be two three-ways short of The Mule, but almost everything about it ā from its 'get off my lawn' misanthropy to its general take on the uselessness of government in American life ā feels geared for a late-career Eastwood vehicle.