Review of The Commuter (2018) by Joseph D — 14 Jan 2018

The last time Liam Neeson was on a train, it...didn't work out well for him. Well, if at first you don't succeed...

The Commuter.

This is a classic thriller for the modern age. At 1 hour, 45 minuets, it moves along at a decent pace, allowing for both slow burn character moments, & white knuckle action, without feeling too choppy.

The cast did great. Neeson might be getting old (he states his character's age a couple times), but he proves that it doesn't hamper his ability to both kick butt, & really humanize the people he plays. Vera Farmiga plays it really cool as the villain, threatening & caring at the same time. She feels like she could be the den mother of a family of monsters; if they ever remake The Brood, she should star. The rest of the train goers feel like a slice of humanity, these are the regulars, you see them every day, but you don't really know them, & any one could be hiding a terrible secret; they really helped sell the sense of paranoia Neeson was giving off.

The effects were awesome. A real train, lots of practical effects, & they only used CGI (which was quite crisp & believable) when absolutely necessary, like when miniature models would've been otherwise used.

There wasn't much music to heighten the tension, but what was used, were camera tricks; pans, closeups, location shots, all used in a way that made you feel isolated in the most populous city in the state (NY), props really need to go to the cinematography on this one.

As I said, The Commuter is a modern classic thriller. I felt like I was watching an old B&W detective noire film without the excessive cheese, it was thrilling, it was funny, it had a really satisfying scene taken from an older movie (no spoilers), & most importantly, it was not boring! 4 stars out've 5. Once again Liam Neeson & his cast-mates knock it outta the park!