"And as the hour approached for the execution, in his own mind, Collins became both the executioner and the victim. He would pace up and down, transformed in almost a kind of exorcism when he knew he was responsible for taking someone's life"
About this Quote
"Exorcism" is the tell. Neeson isn’t saying Collins is merely anxious; he’s describing something like spiritual contamination, as if killing on behalf of the law brings a presence into you that must be paced out, sweated out, ritualized away. The pacing reads like a secular prayer - movement as penance, motion as a bid for cleanliness. That’s why the line "responsible for taking someone's life" lands harder than "doing his job". Responsibility implies choice, even when the state provides the script.
Coming from an actor, the intent is also meta: Neeson is articulating how a performer enters a character built on contradiction. Collins is "transformed" not into a villain, but into a site of moral conflict. The subtext presses the audience toward discomfort: executions don’t only end one life; they recruit others into violence, then ask them to live with it.
Quote Details
| Topic | Ethics & Morality |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Neeson, Liam. (2026, January 15). And as the hour approached for the execution, in his own mind, Collins became both the executioner and the victim. He would pace up and down, transformed in almost a kind of exorcism when he knew he was responsible for taking someone's life. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-as-the-hour-approached-for-the-execution-in-153752/
Chicago Style
Neeson, Liam. "And as the hour approached for the execution, in his own mind, Collins became both the executioner and the victim. He would pace up and down, transformed in almost a kind of exorcism when he knew he was responsible for taking someone's life." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-as-the-hour-approached-for-the-execution-in-153752/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"And as the hour approached for the execution, in his own mind, Collins became both the executioner and the victim. He would pace up and down, transformed in almost a kind of exorcism when he knew he was responsible for taking someone's life." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-as-the-hour-approached-for-the-execution-in-153752/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
