Non-Stop

One of the best ways (in my mind at least) to pass the tedium and discomfort of long haul flying is to watch a film…or three. Last summer, I went travelling and suffered ten flights in ten weeks and all but two had a great selection of in-flight entertainment (the two without a personal screen at your seat were operated by Bangkok Airways, who instead opted to show an episode of Mr Bean – bizarre). The choice of genres on aeroplane flights is usually very good and sometimes a film is enhanced because of the context of watching it on a flight. Non-Stop, a film about a hijacking, really does deserve to be seen on a plane. And here’s why…

Liam Neeson has taken on a variety of roles over the years: the loving father in Love Actually and the killing, don’t-mess-with-my-family father in Taken and Taken 2. And it is the latter “I will find you and I will kill you” character which pops up again in Non-Stop. Neeson plays a US air marshal who, we establish within the first minute of the film, has a drink problem. On a flight to London, he starts receiving mysterious text messages from one of his fellow passengers who threatens to kill a passenger every twenty minutes unless his demands are met. And this is all you need to know to explain the subsequent ninety minutes of Liam Neeson running around, beating up passengers and brandishing a gun as if it were a news reporter’s microphone.

Put quite simply, Non-Stop is ridiculous. Preposterous. Absurd. So ludicrous that it makes Star Wars look like a Ken Loach work of social realism. The film’s third act will leave you slightly bewildered and the characters, the dialogue and the plot arcs are sensationalist to say the least. Indeed, quite how a plane-full of people can’t hear a fight-to-the-death happening in the cabin toilets is a mystery.

Neeson’s performance is standard fare – gruff, hulking and a bit unpredictable, but totally in keeping with the film’s tone. And I’ve nothing against him being an action hero – I’d even say he’s quite good at it. Julianne Moore plays his only supporter on the flight and Michelle Dockery (of Downton Abbey fame) is the slightly suspicious, always polite stewardess. For a film which is predominantly set in the confines of an aeroplane, I have to say that it never drags and the action keeps the film rolling along at a fair old pace.

I’ve said that Non-Stop is a ridiculous film but in many ways, this isn’t to its detriment. For what it is – a no-brain, bang, crash, whallop action thriller – it does go through the motions in an entertaining manner and Neeson is absolutely fine as its protagonist. It’s just a shame that the initial intrigue and (dare I say it) potential for intelligent discussion of issues affecting today’s society (which was setup in the beginning) was totally forgotten about, to be replaced with more shouting and violence than at Primark’s Boxing Day sales. But, in many ways, this was never going to be anything more than a standard thriller with our man Liam.

Non-Stop is as outlandish as it is loud. It makes, however, for a fun and solid action film and I started this review by saying that it would be the perfect movie to watch on a plane. A hijacking film may seem like an odd choice, but it is so ludicrous that you can be safe in the knowledge it will never, ever, happen. 

Clapperboard Rating: * * *