It was my first time to try the Director’s Club Cinema in SM Mall of Asia. With Liam Neeson doing what he does best on the big screen, the oh so comfortable seats, and waiters hovering in the background ready to take your order, and of course the big bowl of popcorn served free of charge, everything was just perfect.
What’s more? It was a Liam Neeson film. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Non-Stop is a suspense thriller played aboard a transatlantic flight, from New York to London. You think it’s just another hijack movie? Perhaps. But I don’t think so. The sub-plot certainly negates that. Have you seen Jodie Foster’s Flightplan? That was awesome. It will steal away your concentration 100% until the credits roll. Non-Stop is no different.
Bill Marks (Liam Neeson), is a sky marshall with a history of drinking and financial troubles. His kid died of leukemia and his marriage dissolved soon after that. I don’t know in the Philippines if we have an air marshall, but they are basically an undercover agent aboard a commercial flight with a job to counter aircraft hijackings. 40,000 feet up in the air, Bill receives a series of text messages demanding the airline to deposit $150 million to an offshore account. Until the money is secured, a passenger will be killed every 20 minutes. Sounds banal, right? Yes, the plot seems ordinary enough. But with everyone on board a suspect, it was certainly one hell of a ride.
For a script with scanty lines, the appearance of Jen Summers (Julianne Moore), as a fellow passenger sitting next to Bill, is a bonus. Julianne Moore is gorgeous, as always. Lupita Nyong’o, who was recently awarded Best Actress at the Oscars, is also in the movie. But I admit I didn’t recognize her at first. She hardly had any appearance at all. No matter, they all did great.
The manipulative plot, the mounting suspense, and the action scenes are all cleverly executed. Liam Neeson definitely has the touch. Hats off to this guy — it takes finesse to portray Bill Marks otherwise one dimensional character into someone who remains lucid even in the middle of a muddled mess.
As you can gather, one of the pleasures of this film is trying to identify the villain. So, if you like detective games, by all means, watch Non-Stop. You won’t regret it, promise!