Review of Non-Stop (2014) by Ej R — 13 Jul 2014

For about two-thirds of the way through, "Non-Stop" is a first-rate action thriller, the kind of tension-filled hand-wringer that leaves its audience on the edge of the seat, anxiously waiting to see what happens next. It's engrossing, exciting and--dare I say it?--almost seems halfway plausible. Then the last third comes through and brings a whole lot of absurdity with it. The movie had always been a bit far-fetched (sometimes more than a bit), but the implausibilities really begin to mount as it careens towards the finish line.

But you know what? I'm still recommending the movie, mostly for one major reason: Liam f'ing Neeson.

You know, the Oscar-nominated actor from "Schindler's List" who in his late 50's suddenly became the baddest mother around. The guy who seems to get more action-movie offers these days than Jason Statham or Vin Diesel. The guy who mentored Batman, rescued his daughter from European slave-traders, and took on a vicious pack of wolves (all in different movies, but you get the point).

Yeah, that guy. You want to know the main reason "Non-Stop" works so well? That guy.

I've commented before on how Liam Neeson is one of the best in the business at conveying authority and conviction, and this has proven to be an invaluable asset in his transition to an action star. Simply put, he's capable of selling the material, even at its most ludicrous. This is crucial for a movie like "Non-Stop." It'd be one thing if this were a Schwarzenegger/Stallone action romp, in which we're expected to suspend disbelief almost immediately. But "Non-Stop" is more of a "real-world" thriller, at least at the outset, and it needs a steady, capable presence like Neeson to keep us engaged when the proceedings get increasingly ridiculous.

Neeson plays Bill Marks, a depressed, alcoholic federal air marshall on a non-stop flight from New York to London. Shortly into the flight, he begins receiving texts from someone who claims to be on the plane...someone who tells him that unless he receives a large sum of money, an individual on the plane will die every 20 minutes. At first, this seems rather unlikely to Marks, but the mysterious texter soon proves to be a master manipulator, contriving situations in which deaths occur...but not in the way you'd expect. And Marks finds himself caught in the would-be terrorist's deadly game.

Now, obviously, some of the texter's tactics and techniques are a little outrageous, as they rely on predicting the behavior of Marks and the other passengers (and, being a movie, the predictions naturally pan out perfectly). But there's also a nasty bit of ingenuity to them as well, and Marks realizes he's going against a master strategist...an ANONYMOUS master strategist, at that. The fact is that the mystery person could be anyone on the flight, and Marks' options for determining the culprit's identity are rather limited. At one point, he even resorts to random pat-downs and cell-phone confiscations.

This is all fun stuff, and the movie has a bit of a "Flightplan" vibe to it. (That was the underrated 2005 thriller starring Jodie Foster as a mother whose child seemingly vanishes on an international flight.) The suspense is palpable as Marks counts down the minutes, deperately trying to identify the texter before the time is up and another one bites the dust. I also liked the way in which the texter's scheme seems to be designed to turn Marks himself into a bad guy, making things that much more difficult for him.

As I mentioned before though, the movie gets more and more absurd as it goes on. This is a film in which the setup is definitely better than the payoff. The villain is eventually revealed, and the results are a bit underwhelming, to say the least. The movie's last, tenuous grips on logic are lost completely.

But even at its most nonsenical, the movie has a rock-solid center in Neeson. When he says something can be done, you believe it (even if it most certainly cannot). And to be perfectly honest, it is great fun watching him do his thing, whether it's kicking ass within the constricted confines of the plane's bathroom, or growling angrily at a potential suspect. If Sylvester Stallone isn't thinking of adding Neeson to the cast of his next "Expendables" film, he'd better have his head examined.

"Non-Stop" is a consistently suspenseful, often laughable thrill ride, but thanks mostly to the efforts of Neeson, it's always entertaining.