A good thriller with a great actor

Rating: 7/10 (2 August 2014)

Enter Liam Neeson. From the opening shot of him sitting in a car alone, with the most devastated expression imaginable, we clearly understand the character he will be portraying for this movie. In "Non-stop" he is Bill Marks, an air marshal. He is burned out, struck by tragedy, and an alcoholic. His already harsh life gets worse when he gets a text message from an unknown individual, claiming that if he or she does not receive $150 million, he or she will kill a person within every 20 minutes until the demand is met. Matters grow worse when he is targeted as a scapegoat from the terrorist's antics. Bill has to battle the clock to disclose this person's identity, protect the passengers, and even save his reputation. This is just another adventure for the past middle-aged action star. What differentiates Neeson from other formulaic, action stars is his capacity to deliver excellent performances. Single-handedly, the opening scene supports his acting caliber. He can display so much without uttering a word. That is reason enough for me to consider him a favorite. He does more than well as Marks.
The screenwriter for the film thought out the story decently. There are twists, turns, unpredictably, and full-blast intensity. The viewer feels the paranoia of the central character as he desperately searches for the culprit. I tend to guess tend to guess in the end who is the bad guy, but not for this one. It is a roller coaster that shifts one direction for a moment and then takes another. When the revelation arrives though, it falls flat and feels downright pretentious. The ending is particularly rushed and pushes belief a bit too far. "Non-stop" is a good thrill ride with a great actor. It warrants a viewingtwo in my case.