When it rains it pours.
Plot Overview
Through the rain-fogged window of an SUV we observe a sad sack in his cups pouring himself one for the road as a radio news station intones: “We cannot make you safe” (from terrorists.) He takes a call from his employer (“I'm fine”), grouses about his London assignment, and boards British Atlantic Flight 10 (“Here you go, sir, enjoy the flight.”)
William (Bill) Marks (Liam Neeson) is a U.S. Federal Air Marshal in whose shaky hands rests the safety of passengers and crew of a 767 airliner on this six hour flight to London. He'd recently lost his little girl to cancer, got divorced by his wife, lost his detective position with the NYPD, and succumbed to alcoholism. He is terrified of takeoffs (“I hate flying”) but relaxes with an illegal smoke in the john after the plane is aloft.
Well, he tries to relax, but a text message he receives
precludes that, so he puts his head together with fellow air marshal
Jack Hammond (Anson Mount) and tells him, “Someone
on this flight is threatening to kill someone every 20 minutes,
unless $150 million is transferred to this account number.”
Jack treats it as a joke (“We're midway across the Atlantic.
How do you kill someone in a crowded plane and get away with
it?”), the pilot Captain David McMillan (Linus Roache) adopts
a wait-and-see attitude, Bill's superiors on terra firma decide in
their wisdom that it's Bill trying to extort the money himself,
and the passengers think he's lost it (“I'm not hijacking this
plane. I'm trying to save it!”) The situation only
deteriorates from there (“Agent Marks, our fighter squad
has you in our sights.”)
Ideology
There is a set of sentiments that plays out in films from time to time—Hollywood recycles the same themes—most elegantly expressed in a well known poem—actually a psalm—and here exhibited in an abstract style. Let's start with the poem:
Psalm 127
Except the LORD build the house, they labour in
vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city,
the watchman waketh but in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up
late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth
his beloved sleep.
Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and
the fruit of the womb is his reward.
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so
are children of the youth.
Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of
them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall
speak with the enemies in the gate.
This pictures a man who is a carpenter by day and moonlights as a night watchman. He's got his priorities all wrong; or at least they aren't godly. Rather than be a workaholic, he should spend time with his wife at home, make some babies, and they'll grow up to leave a mark in the world. At least that's God's design.
There's a straightforward application of Psalm 127 which I developed in my review of “Delivery Man,” but “Non-Stop” rearranges the pieces. In this movie Bill metaphorically “eats the bread of sorrows” through his emotional suffering (“This is a bad time for me.”) It is another worker on the plane who moonlights as a courier of contraband (“I needed the money.”) And it is a substitute stewardess Gwen (Lupita Nyong'o) who is working a double shift and doesn't know if she can stay awake the whole flight. It's a disgruntled vet who having fought for his country laments that nothing works the way it should (“Control is an illusion. There is no control over anything” & “Security is this country's biggest lie.”) And another passenger invokes their dependence on God (“My God! We're all gonna die.”) This is all but a rearrangement of the first two stanzas (verses) of the poem (psalm.)
Making babies is the provence of a couple in the row behind Bill's, having sex on an airplane while everyone's asleep. Bill although he considers himself to have been a bad father, nevertheless demonstrates good fathering skills when encouraging a little girl Becca (Quinn McColgan) to boldly step forward on this her first flight. Instead of the baton passing to a new generation, we have command of the ship passing to co-pilot Kyle Rice (Jason Butler Harner) who upon entering civilian airspace “speaks with the enemies in the gate” (“Fuck it”) and does quit himself well.
The plot here is an abstract version of Psalm 127. What can I say? It's art.
Production Values
“Non-Stop” (2014) was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. It was written by John W. Richardson, Christopher Roach, and Ryan Engle. It stars Liam Neeson in the lead role while other actors include: Julianne Moore, Scoot McNairy, Lupita Nyong'o, Shea Whigham, Michelle Dockery, Nate Parker, and Anson Mount. Neeson despite his advancing years still milks for all it's worth the type of beleaguered action character he'd played before, say in “Taken 2”. Good actors, worth their salt, were used in even the minor parts. Julianne Moore, of course, did her usual outstanding job, here as a sympathetic ally.
The plot requires a modicum of suspension of disbelief; if you're a stickler for plausibility, you may be disappointed. The camera work, however, is first rate. The airplane's interior seems spacious enough to accommodate all the activity that occurs, and even the bathroom fight scene wasn't too squeezed together. The external airplane CGI may have left something to be desired, but the way objects moved around inside as the plane maneuvered seemed all too realistic. The best trick was the texting that got flashed on a pseudo Head-Up Display (HUD) overlaying the movie. The texting words were typed speeded up from how fast they could have been tapped in with one hand. The music was good, especially during the introduction.
Review Conclusion w/ Consumer Recommendation
This movie would lend itself very well to a little game. Try to observe all the passengers and crew, being alert for anything suspicious while disregarding appearances that would cause you to categorize them according to race or religion or ethnicity. Compare how well you did to the marshal Bill who is handicapped having a bad hair day.
“Non-Stop” was well paced, had the requisite number of action scenes, made you care for the characters, and had a nail-biting finish. I wouldn't recommend it for an in-flight movie if you suffer from acrophobia. For good action entertainment, though, it fits the bill.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Edge of your seat action-packed. Suitability for Children: Suitable for children 13+ years. Video Occasion: Fit For a Friday Evening. Special effects: Well done special effects. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall product rating: Four stars out of five.
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