People have phases of their career. Often, it’s a type of film or role that they keep coming back to time and again. For Liam Neeson in the later stages of his career, it’s been a certain kind of action role. Sure, the circumstances of each film change, but you essentially know where it’s going when it kicks off.

The Mongoose, on the surface, is another of those kinds of films. Neeson plays the kind of hard-edged man on the fringe of the law that we’ve seen before. He’s doing some bad things, but he’s not a bad guy. And for those that enjoy a good Neeson action film, this one arrives in theaters to wrap up October.

In the film, Neeson plays Captain Ryan Flanagan, a retired Special Forces commander who goes by the name Fang. He also carries plenty of baggage from his time overseas. That led to a variety of issues, including a broken marriage.

But his main problem, as we meet him, is that he is on the run. He’s driving a top-of-the-line Shelby and working to evade highway patrol. He started in Kentucky and he’s heading to Texas. The reason for his fleeing, and the question of his actual guilt, remain a mystery at the outset.

But it’s clear he can drive and that he has no plans of being caught. As the chase unfolds we flashback to learn who Fang is and how he got to this desperate point.

This film is directed by Mark Vanselow, a longtime stunt coordinator making his feature directorial debut. And you can see both why a stunt coordinator was chosen and would be interested in this feature. A lot of what works, and a lot of the action, surrounds the car sequences throughout the film. They are an elaborate set of chases that are fun to watch and add some action to the story.

That’s the good part, because the story itself feels fairly predictable and fairly commonplace. It’s not bad or hard to follow, but most the characters feel under-baked, while the sequences feel like cliches. Despite a cast that includes Neeson, Ving Rhames, Marisa Tomei, and Michael Chiklis, among others, it just lacks narrative pop.

If you’re looking for a simple action film with some good chase sequences, this is your film. If you’re looking for a film that feels fresh or with some character depth, this won’t hit the right note for you.

The Mongoose opens in theaters on Friday, October 30.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.