Bill Marks (Neeson) is a federal air marshal who investigates the passengers of a flight to London as a stranger sends messages to his phone, threatening to kill someone every 20 minutes. On paper, and even in the trailers, this looks and sounds like a ridiculously dumb movie. It's not incredibly ludicrous, but there are moments where you have to suspend your disbelief if you have any. Planning to kill someone on an airplane every 20 minutes can't go without meticulous planning and a few speed bumps.
There were some things that the film did very well. Cinematography (minus a bit of shaky cam) was excellent, whether it was a blurring effect, or a long take. That and a rather large cast helps emphasize the impossibility of finding someone who's just using a cell phone to text. I can guarantee, you will have no idea who is behind it all throughout the entire movie.
Julianne Moore, who appears to be in everything nowadays, plays Jen Summers, who quickly gains the trust of Marks as he searches for the terrorist. It's no different than anything she usually does. She's likable in that outgoing older woman kind of way. Corey Stoll plays a disgruntled, less than politically correct passenger who becomes more and more frustrated with the lack of information as the flight goes on. Stoll, if you don't know him from House of Cards, gives a strong performance as well as the rest of the cast.
Liam Neeson seemed to half-ass his way through this movie. I don't know if he wants to be put into these roles, or if he keeps taking them because they're being offered. He's making a name for himself as an action hero, so he may as well look like he wants to be there. We don't need another Bruce Willis.
Despite logical fallacies here and there, the film has a gripping, fast-paced story line that is clearly laid out for the audience. There's never a dull moment on a plane to London. If there's one thing in this movie I can't deal with, it's that Marks is an air marshal. Air marshals should not be air marshals if they hate flying.
Character development isn't a strong suit of Collet-Serra, as Neeson's characters in both Non-Stop and Unknown tend to be focused on blatantly throwing a few key details of their lives on screen and hoping the audience cares. I don't really care if he's an alcoholic, I just want to see him catch a bad guy.
Non-Stop provides the audience with a mystery they can try to solve while enjoying the film itself. It has its action, an easily followed plot, and a few laughs along the way. If you enjoy planes, Liam Neeson, and some creative texting animations, and you're willing to ignore a few preposterous events, then you will enjoy Non-Stop.
Rating: B
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