Liam Neeson plays a burnt out, alcoholic air marshal who has to figure out which of the passengers on his flight is a psychotic extortionist who plans to kill someone every 20 minutes.
It doesn't sound like much, but 'Non-Stop' is a superior 'trouble-on-a plane' thriller that owes as much to Agatha Christie as it does to 'Taken' or 'Unknown'. It may be a daft premise but it is undeniably gripping. The mystery element is strong. There are plenty of suspects, false trails, red herrings, twists and surprises. I narrowed it down to two suspects and was completely wrong. Even when events accumulate the film stays on the right side of credibility. It starts well, builds adeptly and accelerates to a thrilling, explosive finale.
Neeson is as stoic as ever, but he never phones in a performance. He convinces both as a hard man and as a sad weary veteran haunted by the demon drink. He's the thinking person's action hero and on top form in this. When the supporting cast includes Julianne Moore you know this is going to be a class act all round.
It's expertly directed by Juan Collet-Serra who wrings maximum tension from our fears of flying, the claustrophobic setting and real time action. The camera moves well without being overtly stylish and even the use of text messages serves as a strong visual motif to draw us in to the drama.
It's a top notch thriller that doesn't insult your intelligence and delivers superb entertainment from take off to landing.
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