Today’s quick review: Non-Stop. Liam Neeson stars as Bill Marks, an air marshal with a troubled past and alcohol problems. An ordinary flight to London turns deadly when Marks begins receiving text messages from a passenger threatening to kill one person on the plane every 20 minutes unless he receives $150 million. Marks’s investigation is at first hindered by a skeptical captain and a distrusting colleague, but soon a sinister pattern appears: Marks is being framed for the threat, and his own erratic actions and checkered past have cemented him as the culprit in the eyes of his colleagues. Now Marks must find the terrorist hiding on the plane and clear his own name before it’s too late.
Non-Stop is a slow-burning thriller with an unconventional setting and a good premise. The action scenes are infrequent but impressive, with fast-paced close-quarters combat. For the most part, the investigation proceeds logically, although Marks does make a few bone-headed decisions that make his job harder. The supporting cast is a mixed bag: a few of the characters are interesting, but most are shallow if not entirely unlikable. The film suffers from its dedication to air travel: the opening 10 minutes are a laborious chronicle of boarding a flight, air marshals are inexplicably the center of public debate, and the film seems to have a checklist of plane-related elements that have to be made relevant before the movie is out.
These quibbles aside, Non-Stop is a satisfying thriller that delivers on its premise. Watch it when you’re in the mood for a tense investigation with a few contrived elements and a sprinkling of action. Skip it if you’re looking for a deep movie or something with lots of action.
7.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it the same for being a watchable thriller that delivers on its premise.