Film Review: Liam Neeson Can’t Bring ‘Non-Stop’ in On-Time

I’m a sucker for a well-toasted slice of escapism that employs a singular setting to maximum impact. Liam Neeson trapped on a plane with a devious killer who’s trying to extort $150 million from him? Where do line up to buy a ticket? Seriously, this is the kind of Oscar counter-programming that I love this time of year—turn off your mind and take a trip with “Non-Stop”. And, for about 45 minutes, the journey was an enjoyable one. And then we started losing altitude, pardon the pun. By the manipulative end of the ride, “Non-Stop” had reached a destination that no one wants in their February escapism—forgettable.

Rating: 2.5/5.0

Bill Marks (Neeson) is a troubled, alcoholic, US Air Marshall who is about to embark on the flight from Hell. Halfway over the Atlantic Ocean on a red-eye to London, Marks gets a text on a secure line. Wire $150 million to an account or someone will die in twenty minutes. How do you kill someone on a crowded plane? And who is playing games with him? How do they know secrets about him like the recent death of his daughter or his addiction to the drink?

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “Non-Stop” in our reviews section. [17]

The cast has a wonderfully-assembled crew and passenger list of suspects. Bill immediately trusts the lovely redhead (Julianne Moore) in the seat next to him since she was stationary and sleeping when the first texts came but maybe she knows something more? The flight attendants (Michelle Dockery & Lupita Nyong’o) have access that others would not. Ditto the pilots (Linus Roache & Jason Butler Harner). His fellow Marshall (Anson Mount) is mighty suspicious at first. Racial profiling points to Dr. Fahim Nasir (Omar Metwally). And, well, there are just a bunch of other recognizable suspects, including Corey Stoll, Scoot McNairy, and Nate Parker. Any one of them could be the person tormenting our poor hero.

Or it could all be in his head. I jokingly said to a colleague that it was a Tyler Durden situation and that Bill Marks wasn’t receiving any texts and then the narrative actually turns in that direction as “Non-Stop” becomes a thriller in which only one man knows the truth and can’t get anyone to believe him. His superior on the ground (a nice bit of voice work from the increasingly-excellent Shea Wigham) understandably thinks that Bill has lost his mind. $150 million?!? And how do you kill someone on a plane and not get caught? When Bill starts random searches of the passengers, even taping up the hands of one of them, the travelers begin to fear the worst, assuming they’re being hijacked. There are even references to 9/11 that are arguably in bad taste. Can Bill convince the crew, passengers, and people on the ground that he’s not the man responsible and stop those who are in time?

Continue reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “Non-Stop” review. [17]

Non-Stop
Photo credit: Universal Pictures