Non-Stop
???1/2
The trailer for Liam Neeson’s newest action movie, “Non-Stop,” is misleading. A gruff-voiced Neeson, ominous text overlays and quick cuts of punches, gunfire and explosions presumably foretell “Taken” on a plane. But “Non-Stop” does its best — with reasonable success — to break out of that mold. Director Jaume Collet-Serra instead creates a psychological, whodunit bottle thriller that deals more in significant glances than in beat-’em-up violence.
The premise is simple: Loose-cannon air marshal Bill Marks (Neeson) gets a text from a stranger aboard his transatlantic flight. The message threatens that until $150 million is transferred to a specified bank account, the stranger will kill one person aboard the plane every 20 minutes.
As the stranger begins to follow through on his promises, mistrust breeds until the passengers are drawn into an Agatha Christie-esque vortex of paranoia in which everyone is a suspect.
Collet-Serra does a fine job creating this uncertain atmosphere. Jerky close-ups of suspects linger just long enough for the viewer to rule them guilty before switching to another suspect and undermining the viewer’s confidence. The paranoia is made even more intense by a pervading sense of claustrophobia. Shots outside of the plane are rare. Coupled with the omnipresent, somehow sinister whine of cabin pressurization, the technique keeps the viewer on edge and engaged throughout.
The picture does suffer early turbulence. Clunky dialogue plagues the beginning of the movie, and from the start, Neeson’s performance is derivative of his previous roles.
Fittingly, the ending is similarly bumpy. The revelation of the killer is surprising only by way of its illogic, which seems a cheat to viewers who’d paid close attention for clues. The film really shines where the mood is more clearly established.
If the viewer is willing to suffer a bumpy take-off and landing for an entertaining journey overall, “Non-Stop” is worth the watch.
— Drew Goins
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