Neeson fans may find this outing a little dry

Rating: 7/10 (23 March 2014)

Liam Neeson has been a Hollywood heavyweight for awhile. He's a versatile and well known actor with the most debonair Hollywood vibe about him. But I don't think it was until Taken became a run away smash action hit that Neeson was catapulted (at 56 years old) to action hero bad ass. He followed that every year with another "actioner" type hit like The Grey, Taken 2 and Unknown. So Non-Stop was destined to be a hit. He is sort of mirroring the type of action career Bruce Willis saw in the late eighties following his Die Hard fame. Non-Stop is a decent film, but its far from great. It feels very rushed, was definitely put together to put out Neeson's next big pre-spring hit. His character is very flawed and that's okay but they really focus on his flaws. The mystery that is happening is okay but the suspects are everywhere and most of them feel a little forced and obvious. Its sort Wes Craven's Scream but in an air-plane. The pacing of the film is good and it isn't dull by any means. Considering the entire film takes place in that air-plane, it never feels confined except when they want it to. The mystery aspect could be compared to Neeson's other hit "Unknown" but I felt that mystery had much better writers and more thought put into it.
Thanks to Liam Neeson's undeniable charisma on screen he definitely keeps Non-Stop doing exactly that. While his alcoholic deeply disturbed character might be a little dark for this film, he pulls it off and you still root for him. A lesser actor would have made you not care whether he succeeded or not. Julianne Moore...ohhh Ms. Moore. Sometimes I just can't handle you. She's definitely on my least favourite actors list and yet sometimes she manages to surprise me (Carrie remake) but this was no exception. Moore is bland, boring, and she overacts a very simple character that was almost unnecessary. She is sort of the Sandra Bullock of Speed but with none of the chemistry, charisma or story. Moore is a waste and brings the cast down. The only other member of the supporting cast I feel is worth mentioning specifically would be Corey Stoll who plays an irate and macho NYPD officer who gets into Neeson's face a lot. His character is blatant, obvious, and not unique in any way but he does as good as he can with what the script gives him. Blink and you'll miss a tiny role from recent Academy Award Winner Lupita Nyong'o, a wide eyed deer in the headlights performance from Michelle Dockery (was there something more to her relationship with Neeson? It felt implied but never explored), and decent supporting roles from Scoot McNairy and Nate Parker.
Non-Stop is decently entertaining. It won't floor you by any means and it isn't anything absurdly unique but it is what it is...a thriller and it serves that purpose. Jaume Collet-Serra is a mostly new director but he did helm the absolutely brilliant horror/thriller Orphan and this is not nearly as smart as that was. But he definitely holds your attention and keeps you on the edge just enough. I think the biggest stumbling block for Non-Stop is the script. Its a little messy and unpolished and feels rushed. The writing team has very little credits to their names and the projects they have worked on are not anything like this. Still if you're in the mood for a popcorn flick and go in with mediocre expectations you'll come out feeling good. Its a far cry from Neeson's best but it works. 7/10