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Review : Non-Stop

Non-Stopadded: 26 Feb 2014 // release date: 28 Feb 2014 
certificate: 12A // director: Jaume Collet-Serra
studio: StudioCanal // film length 106 
reviewer: Aaron Brown
At the heart of Liam Neeson's latest post-Taken thriller is an intriguing and entertaining whodunit. Sadly, the film lumbers around this central premise with all the subtly of a pre-flight cavity check. And by the time the unbelievably contrived and CG heavy finale rolls around the murder-mystery has become so winding, repetitive and tired that it’s very difficult to muster the energy to care.

"Non-Stop" should have been a slow and methodically paced, low budget thriller. Instead it feels an inexplicable need to live up to its generic title - which it does by 'treating' the audience to slow motion diving through a turbulent airplane aisle while firing pinpoint precise head-shots.

Liam Neeson plays the film's flawed hero - an alcoholic, chain-smoking US Air Marshal assigned to an overnight transatlantic flight to London. On board, Neeson begins to receive taunts and threats to his secure phone. He is promised that one person will be killed every twenty minutes until $150 million dollars is transferred to a specified account.

Except the account is in his name.

Whilst an undeniably intriguing set-up, the plot is reliant on an inordinate amount of text messaging between Neeson's Air Marshal and the mysterious passenger issuing the threats. Director Jaume Collet-Serra does a good job of making this as visually appealing as possible - using Sherlock-esque pop-ups around the actors - however after the third, the fourth and the fifth exchange the eye candy begins to bore. Although, this film does have the most creative censoring of a swear word to date.

The quiet whodunit of the first hour quickly fades into a shouting melodrama with fights scenes filmed with a stomach-churningly energetic camera. This adds to the claustrophobia of the confined airplane spaces - but a lot of the fight choreography is smeared by motion blur.
When the plot finally returns to the revealing its villain - the conclusion is both unsatisfying and illogical - this is not a film that stands up to any post-viewing scrutiny.

The film does have some great comedy moments - with Neeson delivering a couple of cracking deadpan gags. It also cleverly plays with post 9/11 flight paranoia but any impact this might have is side-lined for the film’s unimaginative final set-piece. 

“Non-Stop” does not ask you to suspend your disbelief so much as wipe all knowledge of it. As sparks and gunshots begin to fly, the movie quickly descends into a CGI-laden mess with mid-crash physics-defying rescues. 

The initial set-up is claustrophobic and compelling but ruined by the brainless trailer-fodder of the third act. 

This is a mediocre mid-air thriller filled with plot holes and predictable characters. It’s bland but explosive finale this will appeal only to most undemanding of Neeson’s fan-base.

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