Non-Stop film reviewPosted by Wilson Morales
Whenever you have Liam Neeson involved in some action thriller caper, expect some intensity, fight scenes and a level of confidence that somehow Neeson will come out on top. Such is the case with Jaume Collet-Serra’s Non-Stop, a pleasing suspenseful film filled with a cast that provide enough scrutiny to keep one guessing to the end; which is rare in films these days. It’s “Murder on the Orient Express” meets “Executive Decision” where the script is laced with intrigued and uncertainty.
Taking place on a transatlantic flight from New York City to London, U.S. Air Marshal Bill Marks (Neeson) receives a set of text messages demanding that he instruct the government to transfer $150 million into an off-shore account. Until he secures the money, a passenger on his flight will be killed every 20 minutes. Sitting next to him is a woman Jen Summers (Julianne Moore), whom Bill befriends on the flight.
When it looks like he’s being set up to take the fall as the only person engineering this hijack or terrorist plot, not even the captain of the plane (Linus Roache) can believe what Bill has to say. It doesn’t help that Bill is an alcoholic and can’t let go of the shakes when he feels the need to drink.
As bodies start to pile up and less time before a bomb goes, Bill has to use everyone he thinks can help flush out the culprit who’s set this destruction in motion before everyone dies.
At some point in the film, logic went out the window. How does one still get a text while at 40,000 feet in the air? Yet, there’s enough characters to keep the audience guessing who’s committing these crimes. Neeson’s always plays the guy who’s calm, collected and never scared. He’s today Charles Bronson, without the revenge mode. In what could have easily been a throwaway role, Julianne Moore adds some layers to her character. Blink and you miss Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) in what was probably her first big Hollywood role.
“Non-Stop” is an enjoyable, thrilling mystery that above your typical B-rated films. Neeson’s charisma is what gets your attention and your butts in theaters as opposed to catching this is VOD or Netflix.
