Non-Stop (2014)
Certified: 12A
Duration: 106 minutes
Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra
Starring: Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Michelle Dockery, Nate Parker, Linus Roache, Scoot McNairy, Corey Stoll, Lupita Nyong’o, Anson Mount, Omar Metwally, Jason Butler Harner
KRS release
Federal air marshal Bill Marks (Liam Neeson) has trouble on his mind, which makes him restless on a non-stop flight from New York to London.
Accompanying him is fellow air marshal Jack Hammond (Anson Mount) and seated next to him is Jen Summers (Julianne Moore), a frequent traveller. He is restless but once in the air he calms down... until he receives a message from an unknown source telling him that if $150 million are not deposited in a bank account, people will start to die every 20 minutes.
He notifies the plane’s crew: Captain David McMillan (Linus Roache), co-pilot Kyle Rice (Jason Butler Harner) and flight attendants Nancy and Gwen (Michelle Dockery and Lupita Nyong’o). The passengers are not told anything, but every time 20 minutes start kick in, someone meets an untimely end.
Bill is on a race against time to find out what is happening, but his own troubles, the culprit, the others on the planeand also on the ground do not help him much.
Non-Stop is the latest film to capitalise on Neeson’s action-hero figure. In fact, his character could have jumped out of Taken, as both Bryan Mills from the 2008 thriller and Bill Marks are lone, sad heroes that are placed in situations where they have nothing to lose and thus are ready to risk all to achieve their aim.
Then there is the plot: a $150 million ransom that must be delivered into a bank account while still in mid-air is over the top, but it’s in the execution of this idea that the film trumps up its hand. Spanish director Jaume Collett-Serra keeps everything under a tight leash and the sharp editing keeps the audience on edge.
The production did a good job of choosing a mix of both familiar and little-known faces
The brisk pacing also helps as matters keep moving forward, with Marks looking around him as he tries to see who is the culprit. It’s also this Cluedo type of atmosphere that will have us playing his game with him.
The supporting cast are quite admirable and the production did a good job of choosing a mix of both familiar and little-known faces. First on the list is Moore as the woman sitting next to Bill and who seems to be hiding something. Michelle Dockery from Downton Abbey is well placed as one of the attendants, as is Nyong’o from 12 Years a Slave – both need to look terrified and guilty from one scene to the next. Stoll from the TV series House of Cards is the one to really leave a mark as a policeman with lots of attitude.
The script is clever enough to avoid many pitfalls and presents enough twists to keep us interested and munching away at our popcorn in this nifty action thriller.