Liam Neeson has become the go-to actor for aging heroes or antiheroes in action movies and the Thug film, now renamed Absolution, is no exception. Neeson leads a cast of characters who all live on the fringes of (or are heavily embedded in) the criminal underworld of Boston. That means the movie is full of tough-talking character actors who know exactly how to get the audience to pay attention.

Absolution follows Neeson’s Thug as he is ending his time in the criminal world. He has long been a bruiser, but as he ages and the new generation begins to creep in, he finds himself less at ease. The Thug is also slowly losing his memory, making his particular line of work difficult, and he seeks out his estranged daughter, hoping to reconnect with his family before it’s too late. While Liam Neeson is understandably the stand-out in the role of The Thug, there is a strong ensemble around him.

Liam Neeson As The Thug

Born June 7, 1952

• Active Since 1976

Actor: Neeson is an accomplished actor on the screen and stage. He got his start in his native Ireland, but he has developed a great command of accents over the years and has played characters of many different nationalities. Though he got his start on the stage in the 1970s, his first movie was Pilgrim’s Progress in 1978. He really broke into the mainstream world of movies with Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List. Since then, Neeson has had no problem switching between genres, but since 2008 he has become known for taking on the roles of aging action heroes thanks to Taken.

Character: The Thug is never given a name in the movie, which is likely meant to highlight the onset of his trouble with his memory. He forgets his own phone number, address, and directions to meets as his memory declines. A former boxer who has led a difficult life, he is rapidly aging out of the organized crime business in which he has been working as an enforcer and bodyguard. Despite his gruff exterior, he tries to connect with his daughter and her children before his mind completely goes.

Yolonda Ross As The Woman

Born In 1974

• Active Since 1997

Actor: Yolonda Ross got her start in the industry while living in New York, appearing in guest spots and uncredited roles in several television series in the late ‘90s. Her movie debut was in a made-for-TV project, Stranger Inside, which earned her a Gotham Independent Spirit Award. Much of her work has been in television projects, including in critically acclaimed series like How To Get Away With Murder.

Character: Like The Thug, Ross’ character is never given a name in Absolution. She is simply referenced as “Woman” in the credits and the subтιтles of the picture, another reference to Neeson’s character not being able to remember new information. She initially meets him in a bar as he helps her get away from her abusive boyfriend, and the two begin a Sєxual relationship that slowly becomes more. She brings a lightness into his dark life for a time, but like the Thug, she has her own scars and her own darker past.

Ron Perlman As Charlie Conner

Born April 13, 1950

• Active Since 1975

Actor: Though Perlman has a reputation for playing tough roles in action and thriller movies, he got his start on the stage in shows like Guys and Dolls in college. He even has a Master’s degree in Theater Arts from the University of Minnesota. Though he began acting professionally in the 1970s, his big break would be the Beauty and the Beast television adaptation in the 1980s, which would eventually lead to his first of many collaborations with Guillermo del Toro in 1993’s Cronos. Since then, he has been prolific with live-action and voice-over roles.

Character: Charlie Conner is the man in charge of the criminal operations in the movie. The Thug has been working for him for 30 years, and as a result, Mr. Conner trusts the Thug’s judgment – until the truth of his declining health is revealed. Mr. Conner is no-nonsense about his business. Friendships and long-term relationships do not matter to him if it means they hurt his bottom line, though he has a soft spot for his son, despite his son being incapable of some of the messier aspects of their line of work.

Daniel Diemer As Kyle Conner

Born June 21, 1996

• Active Since 2014

Actor: Daniel Diemer got his start after being cast to appear in a music video for Sidney York in 2014. Though he did not book many roles right away, Diemer kept working at improving his skillset and began gaining more television and short film roles in 2016. 2020 would be his breakout year, however, as he starred alongside Leah Lewis in the Netflix movie The Half Of It. Since then, he has not slowed down and has been cast in the second season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians as Percy’s half-brother, Tyson.

Character: Kyle is Charlie Conner’s son. He is “green” to the criminal world and wants so badly to be as good at the job as the Thug and his father. He and the Thug are paired up to handle a new shipment, and Kyle proves just how green he is when he cannot stop worrying about the police or just what product they are moving. Though he does not seem particularly cut out for the line of work his father is in, he attempts to make moves on his own.

Frankie Shaw As Daisy

Born In 1981

• Active Since 2005

Actor: Frankie Shaw decided to move to Los Angeles from the East Coast and pursue acting and writing after she completed college. Not long after, she also discovered she was pregnant. Her experiences as a single mom struggling to break into the industry were used as inspiration for his most famous project, SMILF, which began its life as a short film before it became a television series. Shaw has participated in a healthy mix of comedies and dramas, but she also writes, produces, and directs.

Character: Daisy is the Thug’s daughter, and she carries a lot of anger with her. Her father left the family to pursue his work, and she does not think much of him. She initially does not want to let him into the lives of her children, but she decides to allow him to accompany them to her son’s football games, and she offers to help him despite needing help herself, as the house she is renting is being sold right out from under her.

Supporting Cast In Absolution

Javier Molina as Gamberro – Gamberro is another local criminal who the Thug interacts with throughout the movie. It’s a job for Gamberro that sees the Thug and Kyle having to work together, and it’s eventually revealed that Gamberro runs a brothel in addition to his work at a fish market.

Hans Peter Moland as Larry the Drunk – Larry is not seen on screen in the movie, but the movie’s director offers up his voice for the character. Larry lives in the same building as the Woman, and every night, she can hear his drunken ramblings and yelling. She calls his voice “music” because she finds the sounds of the city soothing.

Ryan Homchik as Dr. Gruber – Dr. Gruber only makes one appearance in the movie, but he does have a lasting impression. The Thug pays him a visit to get a box of prescription drugs from him for Charlie Conner’s operation. Dr. Gruber is the first person the Thug asks about his memory problems.

Deanna Tarraza as Araceli – There are a lot of unnamed characters in the movie, and a large number of women appear in uncredited roles for the actors playing them. One of the frightened Latin women who is delivered to Gamberro and forced to work for him is Araceli. Her fear sticks with the Thug, and he tries to help her out of her situation.

Terrence Pulliam as Dre – Because the Thug walked out on his family a long time ago, he does not have a relationship with his daughter’s children. Dre is her oldest child, and he seems to be following in the Thug’s footsteps without even knowing him, playing football, letting his anger get the better of him, and quickly learning to fight. His grandfather attempts to break the cycle of anger and abandonment by connecting with him.

Josh Drennen as the Thug’s father – The Thug’s father is long gone during the events of the film, but Josh Drennen makes a handful of appearances as the Absolution character. He appears in dream sequences as The Thug combines ideas about his impending cognitive decline with their fishing trips when he was a child.