This 1993 Liam Neeson film is considered one of the greatest movies of all time

Liam Neeson has built a reputation as one of Hollywood’s most recognisable action stars, but one of the most celebrated films of his career is a very different kind of movie.

Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, released in 1993, placed Neeson in the role of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman whose life changed dramatically during the Holocaust. The film became a critical and commercial landmark, earning seven Academy Awards and widespread praise for its portrayal of one of history’s darkest periods.

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More than three decades later, Schindler’s List remains one of Neeson’s most significant films, and a reminder that his most memorable performance did not require a single action-hero set piece.

Schindler’s List follows a businessman who chose to save lives

Set in Nazi-occupied Poland during the Second World War, the film tells the story of Oskar Schindler, who initially sees the war as an opportunity to build his fortune.

That changes as he witnesses the persecution of Jewish people under the Nazi regime. Schindler eventually uses his factory and influence to protect Jewish workers from deportation and death.

The film is based on the real-life Schindler, who is credited with helping save more than 1,000 Jewish people during the Holocaust.

According to IMDb’s plot summary, Schindler begins as a “vain and greedy German businessman” before becoming an unlikely humanitarian as the brutality of the Nazi regime intensifies. The summary says he ultimately managed to save about 1,100 Jews from being murdered at Auschwitz.

Why Liam Neeson’s Schindler performance became so memorable

Neeson’s portrayal of Schindler is far removed from the tough-guy roles that would later define much of his career.

Rather than relying on action or spectacle, the performance centres on Schindler’s gradual moral transformation. Neeson captures a man who starts out motivated by business and personal gain but eventually risks his fortune and position to protect people facing persecution.

The role earned Neeson nominations from some of the biggest awards organisations in the industry. He was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for his performance, although he ultimately did not win.

Schindler’s List became an awards-season powerhouse

Spielberg’s film was not merely a critical success. It became one of the most decorated films of its era.

Schindler’s List won 91 major awards, including seven Academy Awards. Spielberg himself took home Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture, while the film’s awards success helped establish it as a modern cinematic classic.

The movie also continues to rank highly with audiences. It holds a 98% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes and an IMDb rating of 9.0/10, placing it among the highest-rated films on the platform.

Steven Spielberg still feels proud of Schindler’s List

Years after making the film, Spielberg spoke about the experience and the lasting effect of the story.

In 2018, around 25 years after the film’s release, Spielberg said he felt “so blessed” to have had the opportunity to tell Schindler’s story.

“I feel so blessed I had the opportunity to tell this story,” Spielberg said. He also recalled watching the entire film again after many years and said he felt proud of what they had created.

Liam Neeson says the Holocaust story stayed with him

Neeson has also spoken about how making the film affected him long after production ended.

In an interview with ABC Radio, the actor said he was “glad” to have been part of the movie and praised the chance to work with Spielberg, whom he described as one of cinema’s master storytellers.

“I’m glad I was part of it, very definitely so,” Neeson told ABC Radio.

He added that the horror depicted in the story continued to stay with him, saying he still found himself reading Holocaust literature years after making the film.

From Schindler’s List to action blockbusters

Neeson would later become closely associated with action thrillers, particularly after the success of Taken. His filmography has since included numerous films featuring fights, chases, guns and high-stakes missions.

But Schindler’s List stands in a completely different category.

Its impact comes from its characters, historical subject matter and emotional weight rather than conventional action. Neeson’s performance depends on showing a complicated man gradually confronting the consequences of what is happening around him.


Inputs from agencies