Non-Stop

It's hard to believe but it really seems like Liam Neeson has been around forever in the film world. First starting out in the early 80's with the medieval and sci-fi films, "Excalibur" and "Krull", then close to twenty years later in 1999 where we first recognized him as Qui-Gon Jinn in the Star Wars prequel "Phantom Menace". Then to "Taken" in 2009 and to "Unknown" in 2011, Neeson has turned himself into a action star over the last five years and you could say he has found a niche at this stage of his career.

In his new action film, Non-Stop, Liam Neeson is Bill Marks, a drunk and a lonely Federal Air Marshall who must save his plane after a text message is sent to him from an unknown source wanting $150 million or else a person will be killed every twenty minutes on the flight if the the money is not sent. With the recent disappearance of Malaysian Flight MH370, this is the type of plot that fits perfectly into our modern society in a scary, eerie way.

You really can't say that there are many films are like Non-Stop. Liam Neeson really works as Bill Mark because Neeson is (past) middle age and he's fits right into the Bill Marks character timeline. The film centers on Marks as a federal marshal which itself is somewhat uncommon. The movie is also set only on an airplane and for just one setting, it's gives more than usual, and many, supporting characters and also very well developed characters. This different and confined atmosphere is stuffy and creates tension and also explains the film's rather low $50 million budget. Julianne Moore plays Jen Summers perfectly as a passenger lost in the middle of the attacks and brings out some possible hints of a romantic side to Marks.
   

 With a film like this with a twist at the end, much of this film comes down to the ending and how effective the last act is. You can say the villain is not that hard to figure out and is someone who seems to know too much about Marks and he also delivers a motive that is very far-fetched. The ending does bring good action scenes and special effects but the premise is beyond impossible and it has the notion of trying to be too happy and sweet. It is the type of twist and ending that doesn't ruin it's film like others but it's more sour than sweet.

Non-Stop had the potential to be a great action film with such a bright idea but some wrong turns and phony ending turned this into an uneven mess. Non-Stop does eventually stop but not into the film that we wanted.

3 /5