Liam Neeson once commented that he had made Taken thinking that it would just be another one of those films, straight to DVD, maybe a little like a Jean Claude Van Damme feature, nothing amazing, certainly not one of those films that could really change his career. However, once Taken was released into cinemas, everyone became obsessed with action Neeson, the older guy who could certainly kick a few baddies around the place. There was also that amazing tag line…
Now, Neeson reckons he will ride this roller coaster for as long as is humanly possible. After Taken came the brilliant A-Team, then Unknown and before long, we had Taken 2. The brilliant Ballymena man has given a new lease of life to a career that was already incredibly versatile, not to mention his voice over work for the Lego Movie. They just can’t get enough of this action man.
Re-teaming with the director of Unknown, Non Stop revolves around an air marshal, Bill Marks, who has basically given up on life. Before he begins his next assignment, we are introduced to him drinking heavily in his car, a loner who just doesn’t seem that interested in his job or life in general. He boards the plane, takes his seat and settles in for what he thinks is just another routine day at the office. But of course, things don’t turn out that way.
During the flight, Bill receives a text on his secure network warning him that someone will be killed on the plane unless 150 million dollars is wired to a certain account. After some investigation, he begins to suspect, well, most of the plane and while the body count keeps increasing, he searches frantically for the hijacker. Meanwhile, news networks believe that it is in fact Bill who has hijacked the plane and keeping everyone hostage. Not only will he have to work quickly so that everyone survives, but he must work to clear his name.
The main thing you need to be aware of for Non-Stop is that you really cannot expect too much here. Director Jaume Collet-Serra, he of Unknown fame, doesn’t exactly create the most intelligent of movies, but that is not to say it is without its merits. It has tonnes of flaws, but it really is quite the laugh, especially if you are watching this in a packed cinema. It really won’t be a guessing game you are playing here, you will have no clue who the hijacker is, you just need to go with it. Guess everyone. You might be right.
Of course, Neeson is Neeson and as usual, absolutely charming, lovable, hilarious and arguably one of the best action men at the moment. He never seems to take this too seriously which is proved by the fact that he utters some of the worst lines of dialogue known to mankind, but again, they deliver the laughs. The support cast are really not given that much room to move, Julianne Moore is a plot device while the brilliant Lupita Nyong’o has about two lines in the entire film.
Go, have fun. Don’t expect Hamlet…
