Non-Stop (2014)

Running Time: 1 Hour 40 mins
Genre: Action/Thriller
Estimated Budget: $50, 000,000
Estimated Gross(USA 7th March) : $52, 117,000

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Writer: John W. Richardson, Christopher Roach
Stars: Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Michelle Dockery

My Rating: 8/10

OK so you may have seen the reviews and they have not been necessarily kind to Liam Neeson's new action feature. But I'm here to tell you that it was an hour and 40 minutes well spent, I enjoyed every minute of it, and its certainly not as bad as all the critics have made it out to be.

The premise is one that would make Hitchcock himself proud, a crusty old air marshal Bill Marks (Neeson) has a drinking problem and more than one family issue. He boards a routine flight from America to London and finds that his secure network is hacked by an anonymous messenger claiming that if $150 million is not transferred into an account they will kill one passenger on board every 20 minutes. That information alone is enough to get your heart racing, but what is more we are as clueless as Marks, we suspect everyone with Director Jaume Collet-Serra's clever shooting. We find out any new developments as Marks does, meaning we are completely in the dark, it is the best kind of who-dunnit, keeping us guessing until the shattering finale. What adds to this drama, (if anything possibly needed adding) is the slightly problematic discovery that the account is in Bill Marks name. This significantly complicates matters for the air marshal, as he is trying desperately to save the passengers they in turn believe he is a terrorist who has hijacked the plane. They are helped with this assumption by the press on the ground who are running constant stories on the alleged hijacking.

Who knew early in 2008 that Liam Neeson in just a few short months time would be the new action star of the decade. I know I didn't, but with Taken (2008) arguably one of the greatest action thrillers of modern cinema Neeson became just that. His Brian Mills (notice the same initials - B. M.) took matters into his own hands and with his special set of skills blasted Neeson onto the podium next to the likes of Stallone and Schwarzenegger 2 decades before. Although this time around his skills are less action and more brain-work Neeson's Marks still has his moments to kick butt.

He is joined on his flight by Julianne Moore's passenger Jen Summers and keeping with the pattern, parts of her character are hidden. She is a good co-star for Neeson, the chemistry is there (they have worked together before on Chloe (2009) ) and her character's slightly more relaxed and step-back attitude is a great help to Marks as he enlists Jen, one of the only friendly faces he trusts on the flight to help him solve the mystery. Another recognisable face is Downton Abbey's own Lady Mary Crawley, Michelle Dockery is taking time out from her period costume to play Nancy a flight attendant who is thrown into the turmoil along with the rest. Unlike most she has worked with Marks before and they have a shorthand, therefore she is one of the few who believes that Marks is innocent and helps him in his exploration of the plane and passengers. Recent Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o can be glimpsed in a very brief role as fellow flight attendant (this was obviously cast before her amazing part in 12 Years a Slave (2013), it would have been nice to see more of her). Other co-stars include Scoot McNairy in a slightly under-developed role (my personal opinion only, others may disagree) and Corey Stoll, both passengers unsure of how to handle the dramatic circumstances in which they find themselves.

I do think this is a story worthy of Hitchcock, I was biting my nails in anticipation, I suspected everyone and was on the edge of my seat for every plot twist (of which there are many). The film has a fast pace and the tone and style create a fantastic thriller the likes of which we haven't seen for a while. My only stipulation would be the ending, of course the bad guy is revealed and in a way it is both a surprise and not a surprise, since you have suspected everyone and then moved on, there is a sense of "I knew it!" to the reveal. My complaint is with the reason, it is very hard to find good motivation for thrillers and as with many before it the motivation for these acts is just not really good enough. Not only that but the revelation of the why's and hows lasts all of what feels like 30 seconds, therefore feeling rushed and not given the time it deserves, the reveal can often be one of the most exciting scenes in a film and I feel they did not do it justice here.

However despite that (as I said only 30 seconds) the rest of the finale is action packed with some excellent stunts and camera-work, even Michelle Dockery gets a go (have you ever wanted to see Lady Mary give a right hook). What is amazing about a film like this and about every one of its type is that it is filmed all in one location. It is exceedingly difficult to keep an audiences attention for an hour and 40 minutes if there is no change of setting. Sidney Lumet's 12 Angry Men (1957) I feel is one of the greatest examples of success with this; when you have one setting all the more importance is thrust upon the script. I consider the creators of Non-Stop to have done this successfully, and what is more the plane is almost as important as a character itself. Everybody can understand the rational fear of being in a metal box thousands of miles in the air travelling hundreds of miles an hour. A thriller on the ground is bad enough, there is usually lots of running and travelling from place to place. But to be contained like they are on a plane, it is terrifying without adding the threat of an irrational killer into the mix.

So my advice....Give this a go, its not the most complex thriller ever written but you can't say it isn't entertaining. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.