Non-Stop Review

After portraying some important roles recent times in the films like The Grey, Battleship and The Dark Knight Rises, Liam Neeson returns playing a full fledged intense character US Federal Air Marshall Bill Marks in this racy, adrenaline gushing action thriller. The movie is a typical edge of the seat airplane hijack plot with one difference – the audience is kept guessing till the end instead of a predictable ending as seen in most Hollywood action adventures which showcase bad guy calling all the shots.

Bill Marks (Liam Neeson) gets on board a passenger jet that is all set to fly from New York to London. Marks boards the plane, unaware of what is to follow, when he receives a series of mysterious text messages from an unknown number right after the take off. The messenger implies that the passengers on board are under the threat of being killed one after the other, within a gap of every 20 minutes, unless Marks does exactly what he is told. The messages also imply that the sender is watching the air marshal at a close range on board. A bank transfer of 150 million dollars have to be made, in case Marks wants to save the jet setters on air. While Marks tries to decode the whereabouts of the passenger with the help of his neighboring passenger Jen Summers (Julianne Moore) and the flight attendant Nancy (Michelle Dockery), a series of events follow that brand Bill Marks to be the hijacker instead. The rest of the story is all about how Marks (Neeson) tries to salvage the panic on board and save the passengers, clearing his name.
The story is a typical suspense flick coupled with a convincing hijacking plot. The film starts off rather slowly, making the audience impatient, being so accustomed to a gripping screenplay for such a setting. However, the pace really takes off in between and the last one hour when Liam Neeson is all over the screen time, underplaying his role but with a compelling dominance over the rest of the cast. Julianne Moore is a delight to watch, especially after a long time in a leading role, though she has no major central role in the movie. Michelle Dockery, Nate Parker, Anson Mount and Scoot McNairy all play commendable roles, adding value as the rest of the people on board.
Director Jaume Collet-Serra resorted to a very balanced, novel style story telling on screen this time, not following the typical Hollywood get-the-action-happening pace. The story drags at few places that has been well covered up with the sudden twists and turns which follow immediately.
The audience who expect something in the lines of Air Force One, United 93, FlightPlan and Executive Decision have to really leave the expectations home and come watch for something new yet refreshing.
Watch Non-stop if you are an ardent follower of airborne action adventure told with a difference.