Non Stop Movie Review

I think if I learned one thing from watching Non Stop it'd be that when next on a plane, I may as well just keep my phone switched off!

Non Stop is directed by Jaume Collet-Sera and sees him team up with Liam Neeson after the 2 had already collaborated to make Unknown, back in 2011. The film follows air marshal Bill Marks, a struggling alcoholic and father who receives text messages from an unknown person, claiming that if he doesn't receive 150 million dollars, someone on his aircraft will be killed every 20 minutes. While it would be easy to market Non Stop as an action movie it really isn't. It's more a "Whodunnit" type thriller, one that keeps you guessing until the big reveal in the third act.

As a thriller Non Stop works because it isn't actually obvious who the unknown person is at the start, which does allow a few welcome moments of surprise and suspense to happen. The film is a solid thriller, and has a lot of enjoyment attached to it.

This enjoyment starts with a typically brilliant performance by Liam Neeson. The man is perfect for movies like this because he plays up his character so well, plus is one of the most watchable actors in the world. He's enjoying filming the movie, and you enjoy watching him. His character, you can tell, is trying to be morally correct but he does have a dark side. He isn't the invincible hero or anything, he's slightly vulnerable whilst being a badass at the same time. It gives his character layers so you can actually care about him!

I really did feel the claustrophobia of the movie's setting (a plane), which was something that I wanted to feel. The supporting cast all support Neeson well. Incredibly talented Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o does well with what she has, which isn't a lot. During filming her abilities obviously weren't highlighted by the director. Had she done this after her fabulous and compelling work in 12 Years a Slave, she would have had more to do for sure and could show off her amazing talent.

The film is also fairly different in terms of the way its filmed. I was actually a fan of how we weren't forced to squint and look at the texts being sent on Neeson's phone screen, rather they appeared on to the big screen so we could clearly see them. That could be seen as slightly gimmicky, I chose not to and enjoyed it for what it was, which was stylistic and different.

However my issues with the film starts with the movies genre. The film is solidly good as a thriller, as said before. Yet when the big reveal happens we then have to watch a couple of action sequences and a plane crash sequence. I would have enjoyed them but the movie already established that it wasn't an all-out action film but a thriller, so for me they did seem out of place.

The ending is lacklustre and unfulfilling and to enjoy the film you really have to suspend reality for certain parts of this movie. This is mainly during the climax of each set of 20 minutes when the kills happen. The circumstances which lead up to the kills seem unrealistic because all of the factors that lead up to it have to work absolutely perfectly. I didn't buy them and that's all I will say.

But this is an enjoyable film with fun on offer if you can suspend your disbelief for things:


Rating - B-


1 sentence summary - There is lots of fun and thrills to be had, if you don't take everything too seriously!


Thanks for reading,
Matt