Exciting, thrilling and therapeutic amid a real plane's disappearance

Rating: 7/10 (20 March 2014)

As I write this, the Australian satellite has spotted some large debris floating on the Indian Ocean but their planes cannot find anything related to the missing Malaysian airline Boeing 777 which went missing Mar 8 while en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur.
I watched Non-stop for two reasons. Firstly, it has been more than a week after we lost a huge plane with 239 people onboard. No trace of debris and no communications found so far. Hijack? Terrorist attack? Mechanical failure caused explosion or decapitation? Abduction? Just very mysterious. Watching this seems therapeutic and relevant. We might even get some insight on what could have happened. The second reason is of course the ever enchanting Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore. The third reason is perhaps as an occasional flyer, we may learn something new in preparation for our next flight.
Well, the first goal is easily achieved: we are well aware that we would be safe at the end of the 2-hour movie, however gripping it is. Imagine how long the real passengers suffer? I feel sorry for passengers on a hijacked plane who must be scared to death with all the tormenting uncertainty. Or the sudden and unexpected death in the case of a mechanical failure.
In this film, Air Marshal Bill Marks (Liam Neeson) receives text messages on the plane from an unknown person telling him one passenger will die every 20 minutes until $150 million is deposited into a specified account. Like our Malaysian airline, this place also diverted. Watching it was if we have a new perspective in deducing what could have happened in real life.
Marks cannot announce this info but has to make quick decisions to identify this person. Passengers are kept in the dark but are told to have their hands on the seats in front of them, or their hands up, or move to the back. It must be very stressful for them and the director did a great job in creating a prolonged suspense. It is like an Agatha Christie story in mid-air where we begin to suspect everyone.
It is very exciting to watch and yet comforting to know we are safe in the theatre. All the suspense is nicely built but the ending seems kind of abrupt and unconvincing. Then there are many plot holes and loose ends in portraying the flight situation and security check. But the excellent acting of Liam, Moore and the supporting cast compensated all these.
Not a great movie but a relevant and therapeutic one at the right time. May we locate and find out what happened to the missing Malaysian plane soon.