Movie review: Non-Stop

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Cast: Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Michelle Dockery, Lupita Nyong’o, Nate Parker, and Scoot McNairy

Genre: Suspense/ Thriller

Rating: 5/10

In Non Stop, Bill Marks (Liam Neeson), a sad-sack US air marshal takes a non-stop transcontinental flight from New York to London, only to wind up embroiled in a bizarre terrorist incident. Upon take-off, Marks receives a series of cryptic text messages from an unseen antagonist promising that they will kill a passenger every twenty minutes, unless Marks instructs the government to transfer $150 million dollars to an offshore bank account.

When the threat turns out to be credible, Marks finds himself in the middle of a deadly game on a short play clock. However, the more he tries to get to the heart of the matter, the more he sinks deeper into a carefully orchestrated scheme that could cost the lives of all his passengers— and so much more than that.

Thumbs up

The movie lingers at the same altitude as most of the director’s other works but is more entertaining than expected, cleverly and stylishly executed in many respects.

The key speech late in the film that turns the whole movie around, and it’s hard to imagine it working in the hands of anyone who lacks Neeson’s oratory skills, hence good choice of cast and excellent cinematography.

Thumbs down

It basically hits just about every one of the most obvious clichés and logic gaps you likely imagined it would, while only Neeson is fully utilised even as the movie boasts of a strong cast.

Verdict

Given that the movie is stuck in the confines of a flying jet, which is cliché, they would not have chosen anyone better to play the role of Neeson, which works both to their advantage and disadvantage.

Check out the trailer