Suspend too much reality to make this movie work

Rating: 4/10 (2 March 2014)

I had hoped the movie would be more than it actually was. In order for the movie to come together, there were a couple of assumptions that had to be true in order for the movie to come together.
While not central to the plot, it just seemed a little far-fetched that there would be a Federal Air Marshal who is afraid of flying. The trust between Mary and the Air Marshal also had no basis for it to be that deep. I micro-biologist who is summoned as a medical doctor. Even the end, landing in Iceland, the timing simply doesn't work with them landing in enough daylight that it's mid-morning.
On a more critical level, the collective group behavior is unbelievably blasé, with hours unfolding and three dead bodies collecting before they band together, rise up, and demand answers from a visibly disturbed, abusive drunk Air Marshal. The Air Marshal alone, his actions appear to be borderline unprofessional from the beginning, and that undermines the ability of the audience to ever develop any compassion for him. He appears to be just as bad as the bad guy, and how does a movie work when there is no good vs. bad?
The action is exciting. The general premise is interesting. And as long as the viewer suspends belief in basic human behaviors, the interactions become believable, and this movie begins to work. But for Non-Stop, that's a big leap of faith.