It's Gonna Be a Bumpy Flight

Rating: 5/10 (13 December 2014)

This film is not recommended.
Oh, that dreaded third act! It destroys many great works of art, be they books, plays, or movies. While Non Stop is no great work of art in anyone's mind, the curse stays with this nifty little mystery thriller. The musty old premise of this whodunit can go back to the superior puzzler, Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians: People are being systematically murdered, in this case, aboard a plane, and it is up to our hero to find the culprit and end this crime wave.
Liam Neesom again is typecast in this action role as an alcoholic lawman who is forced to solve this mystery. (At least, he brings some authority and gratis to his role as the air marshal aboard the plane.) But as the story evolves, so do the loopholes in the plot. The film sets up its red herrings as interesting suspects, but becomes more ludicrous and illogical until it finally disregards the mystery and resembles a pure action film with its far-fetched conclusion. The execution of the murders are strictly preposterous and it is never fully explained how the killer had the know-how and ability to act out this scheme.
Talented actors are wasted in this standard story: Julianne Moore, Michelle Dockery, Corey Stoll, Lupita Nyong'o, and Linus Roache. That is the real crime afoot. That three people contributed to this screenplay (John W. Richardson, Christopher Roach, and Ryan Engle) is an even greater mystery. Direction by Jaume Collet-Serra is merely adequate, although he does keep the action moving. The special effects are routine but acceptable. The film was moderately entertaining and kept me guessing until its disappointing revelations unraveled with its dumb ending.
Non-Stop left me non-plussed. GRADE: C+
Visit my blog at: www.dearmoviegoer.com
ANY COMMENTS: Please contact me at: jadepietro@rcn.com