O Passageiro

I admit that Neeson's films are a bit formulaic, but it can still be a fun time to while away some time. He certainly doesn't break any new ground and his nemesis doesn't break much ground, either.

Perhaps someone can clear something up for me regarding normal MTA -vs- commuter rail. Is it safe to assume that a commuter rail train leaving Penn Station would not be stopping at MTA stops in Manhattan? I'm not even from NYC, but I was fairly certain commuter rail lines wouldn't have their first stop until they were at least out of Manhattan. That really bugged me in this move.

My wife and I watched this movie at home on DVD from our public library. It is the right length, just over 90 minutes, and kept our interest the whole.

Yet this is a throw-away movie, the story is highly contrived to create suspense. For example he is told to look for a passenger "who doesn't belong" yet the people manipulating him know exactly who the passenger is.

My other issue with it are the fights, hand-to-hand combat in a moving train, they are shown to hit each other so hard, sometimes with devices (guitar!) that would kill them yet they recover very quickly. It definitely subtracts from the believability.

Yet overall I found it suitable entertainment because I like Liam Neeson, he is perfect for this type of role. He is Michael MacCauley, an insurance salesman, who commutes by train along the Hudson River and into NYC each day. After 10 years he pretty well knows all the usual commuters. But this day he is laid off, he has two mortgages, his son is about to start college, so when he is tempted with $100,000 cash to perform a task it gives him the motive to accept it. As a former cop he has the investigative instincts.

The DVD extras are interesting, except for brief NYC scenes the whole movie was shot on sets at Pinewood Studios in England. They say 90% of the actors are British but I didn't try to verify that number.

If you've seen one Neeson film, you've probably seen them all. Despite having already mastered the art of playing the grizzled, independant tough-guy, Neeson is back with The Commuter, in which he plays an unsuspecting ... well ... commuter, who is drawn into a criminal conspiracy which could kill everyone on-board.

It's a familiar sounding plot, but it's one that Neeson excels in, in fact, he may be too good at it by now. With all that said, The Commuter, much like Taken, Taken 2, Taken 3, Non-Stop, A Walk Among the Tombstones, Run All Night and Schindlers List, is another fun Neeson film which you'll probably enjoy much more than you'd be willing to admit.

The first half of this was a gripping, highly entertaining action movie in a similar vein to Neeson's previous "Non-Stop". I really enjoyed that movie and I'm a huge Vera Farmiga fan. In fact, "The Commuter" has a phenomenal cast - it's just a shame their talents aren't put to better use.

At times, it seemed very tongue-in-cheek and self-aware of its stupidity, as jokes and one-liners would randomly appear in scenes where you werne't expecting it. Things just became so unbelievable though that I started to tune-out. It all just seemed to be Liam Neeson pacing up and down a train while random phones rang.

The insanity reached a peak once a major train derailment took place and all the passengers casually started doing a spot of interior decorating like nothing happened.

If you have seen "The Taking of Pelham 123", "Unstoppable" or "Under Siege 2", then you have seen better versions of this.

The former cop and insurance agent Michael MacCauley (Liam Neeson) loses his job when the company where he works is downsizing. He goes to a bar where he meets his former partner and friend Alex Murphy (Patrick Wilson) and tells that he has not told the news to his wife Karen (Elizabeth McGovern). While commuting home, a mysterious woman called Joanna (Vera Farmiga) offers a game to Michael where he would locate a commuter in the train and receive a large amount. When Michael finds the money hidden in a wagon, the woman informs that he has accepted the offer and need to find the person in a few moments; otherwise his beloved family will suffer the consequences. What will Michael do?

"The Commuter" is another entertaining Liam Neeson´s action film. The unlikely story has promising beginning but the conclusion is absurd and funny. Despite the clichés, the non-stop action does not let the viewer think and in the end, "The Commuter" is a decent film. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Passageiro" ("The Passenger")