Non-Stop

Swanner: On a transatlantic flight from New York to London, an air marshal (Liam Neeson) is receiving threatening text messages about the safety of all people on board. Director Jaume Collet-Serra (Orphan) keeps the action moving while the writers, John W. Richardson, Christopher Roach, and Ryan Engle introduce what seems like hundreds of different characters, all with motive to kill… mostly based on the camera profiling them for the audience. There were too many Red Herrings, so I gave up on trying to figure out who done it.

Judd: I liked the amount of potential killers and the fact that the movie played with the fact that Liam could have been the killer himself. The script, however, I found completely disturbing in its Fascist, by-any-means-necessary, message the movie portrays. At only one point do the passengers think that Air Marshal Bill might be taking his duties a little too far, and when he placates them with a promise of free air travel, they settle down and take his abuse. This, combined with the overall message that all airport security is nothing more than theatrics and we need take-charge men like Bill, left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Swanner: It felt like an Agatha Christie novel, but this time Miss Marple is a down-on-his-luck, divorcee, alcoholic, chain-smoking, childless, hot tempered air marshal who basically accuses everyone on board of being the “killer”. In the end, he can look back and say he thought it was that person. I love the way he manhandles everyone and it takes forever before anyone thinks he might be a little off. Also, no one turns on a TV until the tension is thick in the cabin and, of course, the news is on calling Bill a hijacker. Really?! And it took three people to write this?!

Judd: I will say the performances were OK, with Julianne Moore providing a leveling subtlety compared to the rest of the cast. The action was well directed, however, the gimmick of Air Marshall Bill reading his texts became old, fast. I know that texting is the way we communicate now, but it does not make for compelling viewing, especially when all the dialogue between the good guy and bad guy is, literally, being spelled out on the screen.

Swanner: It was entertaining for the most part. If I can say Pompeii was a fun disaster movie, then I can’t give this film too much crap. The script is most of the problem here. Bill’s monologue-ing is a mess to all the passengers, even coming off as goofy and, as you mentioned, the offer of free international air travel can calm even the most unruly mob. Fortunately, the director moves the action fast enough that you don’t have time to question the silliness till you’re in the car. What they should have done was change the title to Airport 2014 and all would have been forgiven and expected.

Judd: The icky message of Ends Justifying the Means really turned me off this movie. In this modern time when the NSA is spying on U.S. citizens and high-school dropouts can look at us naked and give us a grope before boarding a plane, the last thing we need is a “hero” grinding innocent faces into the carpet to protect us from “terrists”. However, I’m sure that it will be well received in Texas.

Swanner: 2 Stars

Judd: 1 Star