Non-Stop: Sin escalas

I never was a huge fan of Liam Neeson's action flicks, but I went to see this because of the good reviews. This movie is a very suspenseful and a great "Whodunnit" movie. It it's share of action scenes, but it never went too over the top. Even if you don't like Liam Neeson, this movie is worth seeing and is a guaranteed good time. Lot's of twists and suspicious characters leave you guessing and most likely wrong. Lot's of on the edge-of- your-seat scenes because of how well it was made and has a silent and lonely feel to it which helps you understand everything going on. Overall, this movie is a great thriller without being packed full of action.

This is an action-thriller starring Liam Neeson as U.S. Air Marshal Bill Marks who, while boarding a flight to London, receives text messages from an unknown assailant, threatening that if he doesn't transfer $150 million to an account, a fatality will occur on the plane every 20 minutes unless Marks complies with the money request.

The film starts off with some intrigue, showing Marks depressed, consuming alcohol and having a couple of run-ins with some passengers before he boards the plane, already giving the audience the impression that Marks is a disturbed person and making us eager to know what his background story is. Jen Summers (Julianne Moore) sits next to Marks on the plane, whose background story is also a mystery until later on in the film, providing us with another interesting subplot.

However, the main plot and action come almost immediately after the plane takes to the air when Marks starts receiving the threatening text messages. What follows is a suspenseful game of cat and mouse as Marks attempt to find the perpetrator and, when the casualties start to mount, it becomes a thrilling roller-coaster ride.

The screenwriter team wrote an exhilarating story that really captures the audience attention from start to finish and Jaume Collet-Serra directed a solid plot that kept the movie's pace going strong, leaving no room with unnecessary fillers that tends to drag the story. There are a few camp and corny moments here and there, but the acting was realistic and believable enough to keep the movie dramatic and engaging.

Overall, it's a great action film that is full of twists and turns that will make you glued to the screen and have you guessing the unpredictable outcomes. Highly recommended.

Grade B+

NON-STOP is another movie featuring Liam Neeson in his newfound 'hard man' role following on from the success of TAKEN. This time around, he's a boozy Air Marshall working a routine flight who suddenly finds himself caught up in a murder mystery involving ransom demands and some high-octane action. Pretty soon it's a race against the clock to stop the murderer from committing any more crimes.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this film, given the middling reviews; after all, Neeson's last film UNKNOWN was a disappointment. The good news is that NON-STOP is a lot better, a film that holds it together for the most part. The main thing is that it keeps you watching throughout with nary a slow moment in sight. Neeson is on strong form as the grumpy antihero and I particularly liked his brutal treatment of the suspects - no nice-guy pussyfooting around here, just blunt force when needed. Inevitably the scriptwriters throw in a few fight scenes to keep action fans happy and they all work very well. The script is tight and focused and kept realistic as possible, only becoming over the top in a few moments.

The film isn't perfect, but the problems tend to be minor. I could have done without the SHERLOCK-copying on-screen texts, and I could have also done without the disappointing Julianne Moore once more forced down our throats in a role she really isn't suited for. In fact, not many of the supporting cast are that great, apart from maybe Linus Roache. Still, this is a film which is all about the plot and for the most part it works; I know I enjoyed it.

When I first saw previews for this I called it "Taken Plane." After seeing it, it is everything but that. Excellent script that keeps you guessing and trying to figure out "who dun it." Liam Neeson does a great job and keeps you rooting for him the entire film. He gets a great supporting cast as well. Top notch performance by Corey Stoll as the NYPD detective passenger on the plane as well. The only downside to this film was that when the film started it almost seemed like the first 2-4 minutes were cut and just dropped you right into the film. A little confusing but nothing extreme to take away from the rest of the film.

This surprised me. A thriller on a plane that has you thinking you know all the answers (because we're such expert movie watches), then flips it. Yes, it's a contrived subplot. And the reasoning behind this terrorist act is goofy, BUT...it is a lot of fun. It interweaves a really elaborate set-up that you have to focus on to understand.

Also, for people who think they're sophisticated in camera motion. Think about that space. The camera moves in (perceived) 360 degrees without a) seeing camera shadow b) camera angle is near impossible with the movements they had. This is visually sophistication that most won't see or care. But it adds a ton to the claustrophobia.

Julianne Moore is great, as always. Neeson is perfect for this role, but one has to wonder how this behemoth of a guy fits in a airplane bathroom.