Taken
felt like a much needed movement when it first pistol whipped cinemas
in the '00s, but on its third iteration by 2014, it had become cliched.
I'd well and truly stopped paying attention to anything remotely
similar, and still have no recollection of Non-Stop being
released the same year. Which may have been the perfect way to discover
what is a very pleasant surprise package a year or two later!
Liam Neeson stars (of course) as US Air Marshal Bill Marks. He doesn't particularly enjoy flying, and regards his job with a workman-like attitude. The routines of air security have become familiar more than a decade after 9/11, but as he boards a flight from New York to London, he's about to discover the value of his position.
Non-Stop is a tense thrill ride that immediately begins poking at audience preconceptions as the various players among 150 passengers begin to appear. The movie plays with cultural and cinematic profiling that should keep viewers on their toes. If allowed, it's a movie that will surprise you, both as the mystery of on board threats begins to unfold, and the roles of various characters evolve.
Familiar faces fill the supporting cast, with Julianne Moore holding an affable presence as the passenger seated next to Bill Marks (Neeson). Other recognizable faces include Scoot McNairy (Monsters), Linus Roache (Law & Order), Lupita Nyong'o (The Force Awakens), and Corey Stoll (Ant-Man). It would be a mistake to regard this as any kind of Agatha Christie style ensemble mystery, but depending on what you know, their presence may enhance the experience of questioning their characters.
The tension begins quickly when Marks receives a text message demanding the transfer of $150 million to a specific account or passengers will start dying every 20 minutes. He breaks protocol to consult the second air marshal, beginning an unraveling situation that makes everyone a suspect -- including Bill!
Routine developments ratchet up the paranoia, and although the final reveal may not be everything you'd hoped for, it fulfills the subtext of profiling used earlier in the film. It also comes with genuinely earned concern for the passengers, and an injection of action that goes to the edge of being over-the-top, but doesn't go too far.
Non-Stop is a well written film, anchored by a strong performance by Neeson, who's relieved of any attempt at a bad accent by a backstory benefitting from his origins in Northern Ireland. It's a detail that not only keeps Neeson's acting loose, but also enhances the paranoid subtext, playing upon that region's troubled history. Just one of the many effective examples of social and political subtext offered to a savvy audience.
Low expectations were rewarded as I found myself quickly sucked in to a movie that had quality in every facet. The blue-hued plane interior looks consistent and aesthetically pleasing throughout. It's the right balance of reality and quality filmmaking.
Despite every indication otherwise - this is much more than 'Taken on a plane'. Mystery and surprise is part of the appeal of that first watch, but Non-Stop holds up on repeat viewings as an above average thriller. It's a movie that will inevitably become a relic of its time, but a diamond in the rough of this era of mediocre action cinema. That there's been no sequel can be considered a blessing. A great done-in-one viewing with just enough originality to keep the genre aspects fresh.
Liam Neeson stars (of course) as US Air Marshal Bill Marks. He doesn't particularly enjoy flying, and regards his job with a workman-like attitude. The routines of air security have become familiar more than a decade after 9/11, but as he boards a flight from New York to London, he's about to discover the value of his position.
Non-Stop is a tense thrill ride that immediately begins poking at audience preconceptions as the various players among 150 passengers begin to appear. The movie plays with cultural and cinematic profiling that should keep viewers on their toes. If allowed, it's a movie that will surprise you, both as the mystery of on board threats begins to unfold, and the roles of various characters evolve.
Familiar faces fill the supporting cast, with Julianne Moore holding an affable presence as the passenger seated next to Bill Marks (Neeson). Other recognizable faces include Scoot McNairy (Monsters), Linus Roache (Law & Order), Lupita Nyong'o (The Force Awakens), and Corey Stoll (Ant-Man). It would be a mistake to regard this as any kind of Agatha Christie style ensemble mystery, but depending on what you know, their presence may enhance the experience of questioning their characters.
The tension begins quickly when Marks receives a text message demanding the transfer of $150 million to a specific account or passengers will start dying every 20 minutes. He breaks protocol to consult the second air marshal, beginning an unraveling situation that makes everyone a suspect -- including Bill!
Routine developments ratchet up the paranoia, and although the final reveal may not be everything you'd hoped for, it fulfills the subtext of profiling used earlier in the film. It also comes with genuinely earned concern for the passengers, and an injection of action that goes to the edge of being over-the-top, but doesn't go too far.
Non-Stop is a well written film, anchored by a strong performance by Neeson, who's relieved of any attempt at a bad accent by a backstory benefitting from his origins in Northern Ireland. It's a detail that not only keeps Neeson's acting loose, but also enhances the paranoid subtext, playing upon that region's troubled history. Just one of the many effective examples of social and political subtext offered to a savvy audience.
Low expectations were rewarded as I found myself quickly sucked in to a movie that had quality in every facet. The blue-hued plane interior looks consistent and aesthetically pleasing throughout. It's the right balance of reality and quality filmmaking.
Despite every indication otherwise - this is much more than 'Taken on a plane'. Mystery and surprise is part of the appeal of that first watch, but Non-Stop holds up on repeat viewings as an above average thriller. It's a movie that will inevitably become a relic of its time, but a diamond in the rough of this era of mediocre action cinema. That there's been no sequel can be considered a blessing. A great done-in-one viewing with just enough originality to keep the genre aspects fresh.
Originally Posted: https://letterboxd.com/dialmformicker/film/non-stop-2014/
No comments:
Post a Comment