Film Analysis: Non-Stop

Let me begin by saying that Liam Neeson is one of my favorite actors – and as far as I’m concerned everything he touches turns to pure gold. He became a full-blown household name after his masterful work in Schindler’s List, but in my book, he will forever be etched in my imagination as Qui-Gon Jinn from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Don’t get me wrong – he’s been apart of some historically terrible movies, including The Phantom Menace, along with films like Battleship, The Haunting, and The Nut Job. Still, Neeson’s best work outweighs the duds. And, even though his role in Non-Stop is far from memorable, he rarely ever fails to entertain.

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Unknown, House of Wax), Non-Stop stars Liam Neeson as Bill Marks – a U.S. federal air marshal secretly patrolling a commercial airliner from New York to London. Early into the flight, Marks is sent a text message over a secure channel from someone anonymously demanding $150 million – or someone aboard the plane will die every 20 minutes.

Originally believing it to be a prank from fellow federal air marshal, Jack Hammond (Anson Mount), it quickly becomes clear that the anonymous terrorist is not messing around when passengers are abruptly murdered. Matters turn even more bothersome when the mystery man behind the plot starts framing Marks – making it look like he’s the one doing the hijacking.

With only a handful of people to aid him, including a fellow passenger, Jen Summers (Julianne Moore) and a flight attendant, Nancy Hoffman (Michelle Dockery), Marks attempts to discover who is behind this elaborate plot – while also attempting to stop passengers from turning up dead. On this plane, though, everyone is a suspect, but when the occupants of the plane ...

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... an acting capacity. Both are brilliant actors, but this is not the type of film that highlights acting ability.

Overall, Non-Stop is not unlike its title in the sense that the film is rarely ever slow-paced or uninteresting. To that end, you could easily say the film features non-stop action, even though the action doesn’t always come in the form of the usual “shoot first, ask questions later” mentality. Some scenes are more thrilling than others, basically depending on how much you care about certain characters when the time comes from them to bite the bullet. Regardless, there isn’t a bad thing to say about Liam Neeson’s portrayal and when this film hits home video – there will definitely be an open spot waiting on my shelf. Die-hard fans of Liam Neeson, and even causal action flick lovers, shouldn’t hesitate to devote their undivided attention to Non-Stop.