Liam Neeson plays an unnamed thug, a grizzled gangster and former boxer in Boston. He does thug jobs for a local small-time crime boss. He realizes that he is approaching the end of his “career” because he keeps forgetting basic stuff, like the names of his friends and places he was supposed to go. He has himself checked by a doctor and finds out he has Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by repetitive brain trauma, such as concussions from boxing. There is no cure and no treatment. The doctor tells him it will just get worse. He won’t live long.

As a result, he tries to get his affairs in order. He finds a girlfriend who has her own ghosts but somehow sees a kindred spirit in him. He has a daughter whom he abandoned in his younger years and she has a son. The daughter wants nothing to do with him, but he manages to get a connection with the grandson and he tries to redeem himself.

But the underworld has him solidly in its grip, and he can’t escape.

Absolution is not a Liam Neeson old hero action movie. It’s a slow study of an aging gangster with no place to go. As such, it is difficult to watch. There is not much of a story, or lesson, or feel-good spirit. The thug has a bad life, and it’s not getting better.

Absolution is boring and deeply depressing film.