From Taken to Unknown to The A-Team, Liam Neeson continues to advance his status as one of the biggest action movie stars in Hollywood. This is certainly evident in his latest film, Non-stop. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, Non-stop is the newest action thriller to hit theaters.
Neeson plays leading man Bill Marks, an air marshal on a transatlantic flight from New York City to London. At the start of the film, Marks meets Jen Summers (Julianne Moore), an unlucky woman who takes the window seat beside him on the flight.
From there, Marks is sent a series of text messages, which threaten to kill a passenger every 20 minutes if he fails to transfer $1.5 million to a designated bank account. When the threats become more imminent, Marks enlists the help of Summers and a flight attendant named Nancy Hoffman (Michelle Dockery) to track down the source. Eventually, his fellow passengers and even the media become aware of the terrorist operation and suspect him of the crime.
Despite its strong cast and action-packed plot twists, Non-stop succumbs to a sequence of plot events less impressive than the film’s camera angles. Almost everyone in the movie is proposed to be a suspect and, after an average of three seconds, is discounted. Because this back and forth investigation occurs in such a disorganized fashion, the plot becomes almost impossible to follow.
It’s obvious the filmmakers wish for the viewer to feel the same paranoia Marks feels among his fellow passengers, but this antic drones on a bit too long and approaches ridiculousness. It seems Marks’ paranoia is just as much a nuisance to the viewer as it is to the Transportation Security Administration in the movie.
The most disappointing part of the film is its final act. Throughout the movie, we are sent on a wild goose chase to answer the same questions as Marks: Who is sending the texts? Who is the terrorist on board? The answer turns out to be an abrupt letdown. A simple backtrack through the never ending suspect list is all it takes to spot the culprits.
However, I must hand it to the writers for attempting to add some purpose and resonance to the film. The final act gives a surprisingly blatant social commentary about national security. To do so, the film uses somewhat clichéd references from political events such as 9/11 and the war on terror.
In addition, a minor annoyance of the film is its use of graphics to display Marks’ text messages to the audience. When bubbles of text pop up like subtitles in a foreign cartoon film, the ominous and mysterious nature of these messages falls flat. It only adds to the overall ludicrousness of the movie.
Though the flaws to its plot are noticeable, Neeson lures the viewer into the film. It is even difficult to notice the mistakes in the storyline because the action and suspense of the scenes can be preoccupying. The audience honestly feels the paranoia, the frustration and even the sorrow Marks feels throughout the movie, due in part to Neeson’s acting and Collet-Serra’s directing.
Collet-Serra is best known for directing thriller and horror films such as Orphan and House of Wax, and his experience shows. If Non-stop does anything right, it knows its place in the action and suspense genre. Everything from the diverse range of camera positions to the menacing background music gives the film an air of anticipation and excitement.
As a whole, Non-stop is not a work of filmmaking genius. However, I can honestly say it is Non-stop fun and excitement. If you are a fan of suspense and even some emotionally cogent moments, especially on the big screen, it might be in your best interest to give this flick a chance. If you like a little more depth to the almost two hours you will be lounging in the theater, you may want to sit this one out.
