Non-Stop [2014]

This Liam Neeson thing is becoming more and more hilarious. Yes, we know that he kicks ass, he’s the new Chuck Norris (damn, I feel old, I remember the Chuck/Van Damme/Schwarzenegger crew), but I just smell that made-to-make-money thing all over Non-Stop. I just wonder what’s his next location, Mars? After kicking ass in Europe, Asia, Alaska, and many more places, Liam decided to take his trusted fists of fury to the air. After a huge success of the Flight, it was only logical to make a movie like Non-Stop. However, after this initial trashing, I have to say that movie isn’t that bad. It’s one of those “great one-timers” that we can enjoy, but only for the first time. It feels like this movie was made in China. It works for a short period of time, but after that, it looks so raggedy and broke that you just can’t watch it again. Taking advantage of a closed environment and the who-done-it angle, Non-Stop is pretty intense and entertaining. As much as an AAA movie can be. 

Bill Marks is a man with a lot of problems. He drinks a lot and on top of that, there are some personal issues that he’s going through. You would think that this man is the terrorist who’s about to take over the plane, (but maybe that’s exactly what he is), but he’s actually an air marshal. The trouble starts when he receives a text message requesting 150 million dollars. Can you fuck with the air marshal on a plane and get away? Watch Non-Stop and find out.

Hi, my name is Subversive Rabbit and I enjoy alcohol. As soon as I saw our homeboy looking at that bottle, hungover from last night, preparing for a shift, I felt such sympathy. I feel you brother, I feel you. This scene was pretty short but it established Bill’s character powerfully. And there’s no doubt that alcohol is bad for you (m’kayyyy), before you get triggered. Not to mention smoking. In an airplane bathroom. And I know that this perpetuates that myth of a man’s man, but this is a movie.

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, this is the second movie in his Neeson trilogy with Unknown and Run All Night. All three movies feature a similar story and action along with a distinct visual style (a lot of Dutch angles in this one) that Jaume carried over to his most mature effort: The Shallows. He started his career with a flawed but again visually impressive remake of House of Wax and decent horror Orphan. I can’t wait to see what’s his next project will be. 

And now the good stuff: the movie is quite intense and intriguing. After 45 minutes of the movie, I still couldn’t figure out who’s the bad guy and what’s going to happen. They mixed the who-done-it vibe with the classical action on the airplane and got a rather interesting result. A movie that plays like a thriller but is actually an action flick. The acting was great, with a very experienced crew who did their job perfectly. So, if you’re looking for that sure thing, Non-Stop is a great choice. Plus, you can have a Liam Neeson movie marathon.

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Writer: John W. Richardson, Christopher Roach

Cast: Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Scoot McNairy, Lupita Nyong’o, Quinn McColgan, Nate Parker

Fun Facts: While shooting the final scene of the movie, Liam Neeson suffered a stroke but he didn’t break character. Director Jaume Collet-Serra revealed this in an interview with a Catalan film review show.

Rating:

IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024469/