Non-Stop (2014)

Director: Jaume Collet-Sera

Cast: Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Scoot McNairy, Michelle Dockery, Lupita Nyong'o

Country: United States / France

Rating: PG-13

Run Time: 106 minutes

Note: Reviewed at time of theatrical release.

A movie that couldn't exist without texting. Or Liam Neeson. Non-Stop is the latest action thriller from the man himself. Ever since Taken, Liam Neeson has continually proven to kick ass and take names in all of his action thrillers regardless of how good or bad they are. If Neeson is in it, action fans and even casual cinema goers flock to it in droves.

All he wanted to do was play Flappy Bird...

Bill Marks (Liam Neeson) is a divorced alcoholic. He is also a U.S. Federal Air Marshall. As Bill boards a plane for another routine shift of his, he begins to receive threatening texts. The messenger claims someone will die every 20 minutes if $150 Million is not transferred to an account. Neeson than has to play detective and figure out which of the plane's suspicious passengers is the culprit before people start dying. It's as simple as they come, a who-dun-it thriller in the sky.

There is not much to say about Non-Stop honestly. The film is mainly a who-dun-it thriller. Therefore, the whole film keeps the audience guessing. "Is this passenger innocent? Is this passenger evil? Oh wait, he's pretending to be innocent...right? Oh no, why aren't they on Liam Neeson's side?" These are the questions and many more that you will be asking yourself throughout the flick.

"Everybody sit down. Or I will find you and I will kill you."

I found myself quite enjoying the mystery in this film. I kept trying to figure out who the texter was amongst the many passengers. I thought the reveal was pretty good and not entirely predictable. It is this aspect of the film though that prevents me from wanting to ever rewatch this film though. It's a fun thrill ride the first time. However, the majority of this film is Neeson walking around a plane and trying to figure out who the texter is. Therefore, a second watch might make matters quite dull. That is just my opinion though, some people out there might find this to be the most exciting film ever made. For me, it's an average but serviceable action thriller. Not-bad, not-great, but Non-Stop!

Liam Neeson is upset the inflight movie is not Taken.

Liam Neeson plays a typical action character. Even though he is flawed, he cares about his job and wants to protect the passengers on the plane as best as possible. However, this is more of a thriller and less of an action film. Therefore, Neeson only gets a few choice scenes to show his bad ass side. There is a nice fight scene within the airplane's bathroom that makes for quite a tight quarters combat fight. However, the best moment in the entire film comes right near the end. I can't give it away though, it's too good. It's a beautiful moment that made me want to leap out of my seat and cheer! However, I had a bad headache while watching this film and resigned my excitement to a simple, "Yayah!"

What a glorious moment. Engraved in my mind forever!

Ultimately, Non-Stop gets the job of entertaining the audience done just fine. We are in the spring movie season though, the deadest and dullest time for new film releases. Therefore, Non-Stop probably seems better than it actually is. There isn't anything really wrong with the film. It's just that it's an average and basic who-dun-it film that loses all of its appeal the second time around. But, if you are in need of some trademark Liam Neeson ass-kicking, look no further.

Rating: 7/10 - Non-Stop is a fun serviceable action film. Liam Neeson is great as always and the mystery is quite fun for a first time viewing. I recommend this if you are need of a fun, gritty, and realistic action film to pass the time. In the canon of Liam Neeson action films, it's definitely a fun one.