'Non-Stop' is entertaining but disposable
If you鈥檙e a frequent flier and want to see 鈥淣on-Stop,鈥� best not to wait for it to appear as an in-flight movie. It won鈥檛.
Liam Neeson plays Bill Marks, a federal air marshal who is first shown in the JFK airport parking lot downing a very large glass of whiskey before boarding a flight to Heathrow. He鈥檚 got troubles. He鈥檚 even afraid of flying, at least during liftoff.
His troubles skyrocket when, via the plane鈥檚 secure network, he receives a text message from an anonymous passenger threatening to kill a fellow flier in twenty minutes unless $150 million is wired to a numbered account.
Neeson has been through these hulky, haggard paces before in the 鈥淭aken鈥� movies and 鈥淯nknown,鈥� which, like 鈥淣on-Stop,鈥� was directed by Jaume Collet-Sera (who already has a new Neeson actioner in the can). Neeson must be amused that an actor of his range and power has settled into a late-state career playing woebegone action-hero lugs. (He鈥檚 laughing all the way to the bank.) He plays them well, though. He could be the thinking man鈥檚 Charles Bronson, although there鈥檚 far more punching than thinking going on here.
Julianne Moore turns up as a secretive seat mate. (Could she be the texter?) Like Neeson, she tries to give this old worn-out shoe some polish. It鈥檚 all fairly entertaining and eminently disposable. Grade: B (Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some language, sensuality and drug references.)
