Liam Neeson on a Plane

Rating: 8/10 (28 February 2014)

Liam Neeson is back on the big screen with another good thriller action film. Some call it Taken on a plan. I simply call it Liam Neeson acting normal. With an edge of your seat whodunnit and some nice action this is a must see film without a doubt.
Written by John W. Richardson, Christopher Roach, and Ryan Engle we get a nice end of your seat thriller. There are times when the films slows down here, and there, but overall it sticks together nicely. Liam Neeson is a U.S. air marshal who is an alcoholic who lost his child to cancer when she was only 8 years old. Trying to keep his life and career on track we see how he has continued to live his life. It has not been easy for him over the years. But on this flight Neeson is meet by an unknown person sending him text messages on his secure phone line. As this phase of the film starts the games begin. Who is sending the messages, and who is the real terrorist. I'm not going to give that information, but for over an hour it is a game of whodunnit. With nice twists and turns throughout the film you really have no idea who it truly is until very close to the ending. Frankly I was even wrong on who the real terrorist was going to be. The writers here did a nice job of playing the characters nicely off of each other. In a film like this that is a much needed aspect.
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra who also directed Liam Neeson in another film, Unknown. This film is a step up from their last outing. The pacing of the film was done nicely with only a few minor hiccups here and there. Nothing that hurts the film, but there are gaps where the film slows down. When you have a film taking place nearly entirely on a plane that will happen most of the time. The action and fight scenes are truly amazing. Near the end of the film when the action truly picks up Jaume Collet-Serra shows just how great he is at directing an action scene. Thankfully we will get to see these two men work yet again on another action film in early 2015.
The acting is very good. Top notch actors like Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, and Scoot McNairy round out this amazing cast. The actors gel very well together, and not just the top actors. The secondary actors with smaller roles do a very good job in the film. Over the years some have said Neeson simply plays the same character over and over again. The character being Bryan Mills from Taken. Neeson is a fantastic actor, and he pulls off the alcoholic divorced man very well. He is very believable and delivers his lines perfectly. Not to mention one of the greatest lines in film history with, "I'm not hijacking this plane. I'm trying to save it!". That line alone put me into the theater.
Overall for action and thriller fans this is a very good film to go out and watch in the theater. The visuals are stunning in the major action scenes and the acting is amazing. Some who hold the attitude that Liam Neeson keeps playing the same character over and over again probably won't like the film much. If you are in that boat waiting for a rental won't hurt you here. For the rest of us this is a must see film that should be seen on the big screen.