Arts & Life, Film & Television

‘Non-Stop’ stops short of exciting

Since his commercial hit, “Taken,” Liam Neeson has proven his chops as an action star. In his most recent endeavor, “Non-Stop,” Neesom show no sign of that changing.

In “Non-Stop,” Bill Marks (Liam Neeson) is a U.S. Federal Air Marshall and divorced alcoholic. Marks boards a plane for another routine shift and begins receiving threatening texts.

The messenger claims someone will die every 20 minutes if $150 million is not transferred into an account. Marks then 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 who-done-it thrillers come.

There is not much to say about “Non-Stop.” It is more of a thriller and less of an action film and the film’s premise is simple but effectively 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 Marks’ side?” These are the questions that you will be asking yourself throughout the flick.

The mystery in the film is quite enjoyable. Trying to figure out who was behind the threatening texts is enjoyable, and the big reveal was pretty good and not entirely predictable.

While the film is a fun thrill ride, the majority of the time Neeson simply walks around the plane trying to figure out the brains behind the texts. A second viewing would be a waste of time.

Some people out there might find “Non-Stop” to be the most exciting film ever made, but it’s really an average but serviceable run-of-the-mill action-thriller where Neeson plays a typical action character. Not-bad, not-great.

Even though Marks is flawed, he cares about his job and wants to protect the passengers on the plane as best as possible.

Marks only gets a few choice scenes to show off his action. There is a nice fight scene inside the airplane bathroom that makes for an intense, tight-quarters combat scene. However, the best moment in the entire film comes near the end.

Ultimately, “Non-Stop” finishes the job of entertaining the audience. Not to mention, it is currently the spring movie season, the deadest and dullest time for new film releases, so “Non-Stop” probably seems better than it actually is.

There isn’t anything really wrong with the film, it’s just an average and basic “catch the bad guy” film, worthy of a one-time viewing.

Despite its worn plot, if you are in need of some trademark Neeson butt-kicking, look no further.

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  1. Pingback: 'Non-Stop' stops short of exciting | FlipsPops

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