NON-STOP

Julianne Moore stars opposite Liam Neeson in NON-STOP
Julianne Moore stars opposite Liam Neeson in NON-STOP

NON- STOP is a brisk action thriller, a modern Agatha Christie ‘whodunit’ played at 40,000 feet on a flight with 200 passengers lives at risk.

Liam Neeson stars as Bill Marks a burned out veteran of the Air Marshals service. He has a drinking problem, paranoia, and carries a photograph of his deceased daughter. During what was to be a routine transatlantic flight, he is forced to act after receiving a series of text messages that put his fellow passengers at risk – a passenger will die every 20 minutes unless the airline transfers $150 million into an off-shore account.

In the opening scenes we are introduced to Bill Marks as he swigs scotch prior to joining the queue at JFK airport. Others we meet include Jen Summers (Julianne Moore) a businesswoman who insists on a window seat and moves out another passenger ending up next to Bill; Austin Reilly (Corey Stoll) a tough New York cop; Tom Bowen (Scott McNairy) a 30 something guy who tries to engage Bill in conversation; Dr Fahim Nasir (Omar Metwally) a Muslim doctor as we wait for him to be racially profiled, and Becca (Quinn McColgan) an unaccompanied minor who extracts some gentleness from Bill.

Initially the crew dismiss the threatening messages as a hoax. However, when the first passenger dies on schedule, ironically during a fight with Bill, the intensity of the game increases.

When the off-shore bank account is discovered to be under Marks’ name and a bomb is found aboard the plane, Marks is branded as a hijacker. From that moment on all external authorities become hostile.

Any likelihood of willing cooperation and assistance from the passengers is reduced when they watch a news item on TV showing Bill as paranoid and an alcoholic manhandling a passenger whilst pointing a pistol, is broadcast through the cabin.

Bill has insight into his flawed character when he exclaims: “I’m not a good father! I’m not a good man! But I want to save this plane!” In Agatha Christie style, Bill ushers all passengers into the economy class cabin before working through the choice of suspects in turn.

Liam Neeson displays the gruff machismo of a Marshal with his large frame and lumbering gait. His presence is compelling. Many good actors in this film, including Julianne Moore, seem to have parts diminished to mainly being there to arouse passing suspicion and get roughed up at Liam Neeson’s hands.

Collet-Serra has directed the shots with a shallow depth of field, plus mood lighting, leading to the blur one might get from jetlag or even the scotch Bill drank prior to boarding. The brisk pace of the film is assisted by the John Ottman score.