If you grew up watching movies in the mid-2000s, chances are you think of Liam Neeson as some sort of perpetually grizzled action hero engaged in a never-ending quest for vengeance. It's no secret that the Irish star has spent the latter part of his career fronting a series of middling actioners that, if you removed the names and flimsy plots, would basically all be the same film. (We've even ranked the 10 best "old man Liam Neeson action films" right here.)

It all began with 2008's "Taken," which began Neeson's action star makeover and was actually a pretty good movie that set a precedent for similar films moving forward. But there was a time when Neeson was known for much more than being the permanently upset badass dad. Prior to 2008, the man had some seriously impressive accomplishments to his name, such as a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his...