Recently I watched the movie Taken. It was an amazing film, and I never got sick of seeing Liam Neeson pop out of a corner and punch a nameless gangster in the face. Every scene involving him simply oozed coldness and badassery. However, despite all this, it just felt out of place somehow. After seeing the character run throughout the city streets several times in the movie, it hit me. How the hell is a man in his 50s (both in real life and I assume in the movie) capable of all this?

This same issue was brought up in the case of Harrison Ford, who played the role of Indiana Jones despite his old age. So should older actors play action roles despite it seeming out of place at times, or should they lean more towards talking roles?

hey in a movie there will allways be mistakes.
I don't mind a older actor a "young" role

It doesn't bother me.

Its interesting seeing older guys push themselves to the limit. Such is the point of those movies. An aging action hero is somehow badass See Sean Connery in Never Say Never Again (Thunderball remake).

I don't have a problem with older actors playing younger characters as long as it is reasonable, but there are several roles and several events in movies where certain actors look far too old for it to be reasonable. In my opinion, I don't have a problem with a 50+ year old man kicking someone's butt as long as they're fit and it is portrayed that they're either far more experienced or that they outsmarted their opponent ... No matter how strong and tough a 50 year old man is, they will lose in a fight against a moderately fit 20 something year old if they go toe-to-toe with them.

This.

I'm 23 i go to the gym and am in great shape but i know a couple 50+ year olds who can out pace me at the park, so i disagree with you i see no problem in an older actor playing that role.

Depends on the film and how its done. It can work and it can be laughable. Indiana jones was a laughable movie, but not because he was old, it was just a shitty movie. The only good thing about that movie was the fact they kept making fun of his age.

depends if done correctly. The newest Rambo and Rocky films show it can be done.

Indiana Jones sucked but not because of his age. I blame the fridge.

... and pretty much every other frame of celluloid in that film.

As for Taken, I thought it worked just fine with Neeson. He did an excellent job, IMO.