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Home - Movies - Knox Goes Away (2024) Review – Michael Keeton Makes It Harder For Liam Neeson To Release Slightly Different Films Every Year

Knox Goes Away (2024) Review – Michael Keeton Makes It Harder For Liam Neeson To Release Slightly Different Films Every Year

“Knox Goes Away” is a shakeup to the formula that was set by Liam Neeson’s recent filmography and is rarely challenged.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted onMarch 16, 2024 8:05 PMMay 30, 2024 1:40 PM Hours Updated onMay 30, 2024 1:40 PM
Title Card, Knox Goes Away

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.


Additionally, some images and text may include affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission or receive products if you make a purchase.


  • Plot Summary
    • Character Guide
    • Character Description(s)
      • John
      • Miles
      • Xavier
      • Detective Emily
  • Review
    • Highlights
      • The Level Of Emotion You Don't Expect From A Film Like This
      • It Provides All The Necessary Details
  • Background Information

Plot Summary

Since leaving the army decades ago, John Knox has been an assassin. From what it seems, he and his partner haven’t killed good people, just drug dealers and human traffickers, and basically have done vigilante work for a person named Jericho.

However, with getting up in age, John finds himself not only dealing with a form of dementia but also his estranged son Miles revealing to him he just killed a grown man who got his teenage daughter pregnant. With that in mind, John does his best to clean up the incident, with the help of his friend Xavier, and push detective Emily A to believe the narrative he is setting up all within his final weeks of being lucid.

Character Guide

Character’s Name Actor’s Name
John Michael Keaton
Miles James Marsden
Xavier Al Pacino
Emily Suzy Nakamura

Character Description(s)

John

Jon Knox (Michael Keaton) learning his diagnosis
Jon Knox (Michael Keaton) learning his diagnosis

John was a deep reconnaissance officer in the military, held two PhDs, and was even a professor at one time. However, his main source of income for years has been as a vigilante for a shadowy figure. But, with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, he isn’t the soldier he once was, and no sooner is he diagnosed, he learns he has weeks left of being lucid, so the man nicknamed “Aristotle” soon will barely be able to remember what happened ten minutes ago.

  • The actor is also known for their role in “Birdman.”

Miles

Miles (James Marsden) having dinner with his dad
Miles (James Marsden) having dinner with his dad

Miles is John’s son, who has gone through a lot. He had a drinking problem but now is sober; for reasons unknown, he became vegan; and now he has killed a man, a neo-nazi of some kind, who got his teenaged daughter pregnant. So, despite years of silence, Miles goes to the only person he knows who knows how to handle dead bodies.

  • The actor is also known for their role in “The Female Brain.”

Xavier

Xavier (Al Pacino) and John having a chat about John's former partner
Xavier (Al Pacino) and John having a chat about John’s former partner

Xavier is the man who recruited John to become a vigilante of sorts and is known as a thief in his industry. But, with him up in years, on a new marriage, and pretty much sitting down most of the time, Xavier doesn’t put in the work he used to, potentially by choice, to live up to his reputation.

Detective Emily

Detective Emily (Suzy Nakamura) and her co-worker rushing to solve the mounting muder cases
Detective Emily (Suzy Nakamura) and her co-worker rushing to solve the mounting muder cases

With a tiger mom on one side and members of her family being notable cops, Detective Emily is hardcore when it comes to her work. However, because of her strict upbringing, she has an eye and mind for details others don’t, which complicates John trying to make sure his son doesn’t go down for murder.

  • The actor is also known for their role in “Dr. Ken.”

Review

Good If You Like

  • Any movie Liam Neeson has released in the last few years

Similar To This

  1. The Baker
  2. Logan
  3. The Equalizer 3

Check out our movies page for our latest movie reviews and recommendations.

Highlights

The Level Of Emotion You Don’t Expect From A Film Like This

Liam Neeson rebuilt his career as an older man who would pick up a gun, his fist, or any object to defend his family, himself, or whatever. This has made it so that you get certain expectations for when you see someone in his age bracket advertised to commit violence. The high is like Denzel Washington in “The Equalizer” trilogy, and the low is Liam Neeson.

I’d submit Michael Keaton raised the bar. Now, is this film as violent as anything seen in “The Equalizer?” No. However, it does bring a sense of drama, notable performances, and, best of all, a story that doesn’t seem like something retooled year after year.

Because of that, you get engaged, have the potential to get emotional, and feel like you got the balance between the violence advertised, a complicated journey thanks to the lead having dementia, and an unexpected amount of character development that makes it so “Knox Goes Away” deserves its own pedestal.

It Provides All The Necessary Details

Another thing “Knox Goes Away” does that a lot of films similar to it don’t is explain almost anything you may want to ask about. Whether it is Knox’s training, why Xavier got him into this line of work, what happened between Miles and his dad, John’s ex-wife, and him, it’s all there.

It’s a bit shocking since so many films like these have plot holes, and considering John has dementia, it is easy to imagine using that as a cover to avoid having to explain anything. Yet, while “Knox Goes Away” doesn’t go into excessive details, like what missions John did while in the army, they give you his title, what his title meant, and so on. Ultimately leaving you feeling that, in this movie pushing almost 2 hours, it wanted to use its time wisely, unlike many that clock in around the same.

Background Information

Director(s) Michael Keaton
Writer(s) Gregory Poirier
Based On Work By N/A
Date Released March 14, 2024
Where To Watch In Theaters
Genre(s) Action

Crime

Drama

Elder

Film Length 1 Hour 54 Minutes
Content Rating Rated R
Content Information Dialog: Cursing | Violence: Gun Violence, Blood, Notable Fight Scenes | Sexual Content: Sexual Situations (Implied) | Miscellaneous: Drinking

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Knox Goes Away (2024) Review

Summary

Our Rating: Positive (Worth Seeing)

“Knox Goes Away” pushes the idea it isn’t wrong to expect more. The action heroes we’ve grown up with can still bring the combat that made them famous while presenting us with something meaningful. I’d even say that watching “Knox Goes Away” reminded me that “Logan” exists and that to have low expectations for films like this is something we got used to but don’t have to.

Overall
84%
84%
  • It Provides All The Necessary Details - 83%
    83%
  • The Level Of Emotion You Don’t Expect From A Film Like This - 84%
    84%
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User Review
0 (0 votes)

Pros

  • It Provides All The Necessary Details
  • The Level Of Emotion You Don’t Expect From A Film Like This

Cons


Listed Under Categories: Movies, Positive (Worth Seeing)

Related Tags: Action, Al Pacino, Crime, Drama, Gregory Poirier, In Theaters, James Marsden, Michael Keaton, Rated R, Suzy Nakamura

Amari Allah

Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been writing reviews since 2010, with a focus on dramas and comedies.

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