When we heard that Liam Neeson was starring in his next action blockbuster, we couldn’t help but wonder if it would be as successful as Taken (2008). So, it’s with a heavy heart that we report: we can’t exactly recommend Non-Stop (2014) which opened nationwide on February 28th.
Non-Stop had a riveting trailer with an unexpected cast. In fact, Liam Neeson is just one of many stars that grace the screen. Julianne Moore makes an appearance as the female lead opposite Neeson’s character, and you’ll recognize several faces from popular television shows. There’s Downton Abbey‘s Michelle Dockery playing Nancy, who is better known as “Mary” to fans of the BBC hit. Unfortunately, while Dockery has considerable airtime in the Non-Stop trailer, she has about as much airtime in the movie. You may recognize passenger Corey Stoll from the popular Netflix drama “House of Cards,” which recently made its season 2 comeback. And, unbelievably, recent Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o from Twelve Years a Slave has a small role as a flight attendant–but she barely speaks more than two words. Sadly, despite all this star power, the abilities of these actors and actresses is not taken advantage of, and this is more of a cookie-cutter action movie.
The problem with Non-Stop is how formulaic it is. Sure, you could say the same about Neeson’s action hit Taken–but, then again, Taken was graced with a much more riveting plot, despite its formulaic origins. There’s nothing in Non-Stop that you haven’t seen before, and sadly the story doesn’t nearly live up to the potential of all the actors showcased in the film.
Non-Stop begins with a typical trope: actor Liam Neeson is our flawed hero, an Air Marshal and alcoholic who can’t get over the loss of his beloved daughter (due in part because he blames himself for not being around at the time). He boards a flight that we already know is doomed, and you’d think the tension would mount…but mostly, it’s just talking with a few action scenes thrown in here and there. It’s sad to say that the dialogue just falls flat on its face. It becomes hard not to wonder if all our patience will pay off.
Everyone knows there’s a twist coming, especially because of the trailer–and eventually, the big “twist” has us finding out that our hero may, in fact, be the very terrorist we’re fighting against. Tension mounts as Liam Neeson plays a game of “eeny meeny miney moe” to find out who the real terrorist is; in other words, he accuses just about everyone on the plane of being a terrorist except for the actual terrorist, and doesn’t figure it all out until the last 20 minutes of the film. Sadly, the real terrorists are motivated by none other than–get this–9/11. I couldn’t help but wonder at how very 2005 all of this was.
It’s a riveting final 20 minutes, and they almost make it worth watching the entire hour and a half of the movie…but not quite. This is a great flick for brainless dialogue with a few fun action scenes thrown in the mix, and a couple of twists for good measure. But, quite honestly, it’s a popcorn flick; nothing more, nothing less. It sure could’ve made better use of its superstar cast. I wanted to be Taken away, but instead I was left with an unsatisfying ending a la The Grey (2011).
Roviewz Score: **/5
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