Review Roundup: Neeson and Moore star in NON-STOP
By: Matt Tamanini Feb. 28, 2014
The suspense thriller NON-STOP, starring Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Nate Parker, Michelle Dockery and Scoot McNairy opens in theaters today. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and produced by Joel Silver, this movie has often been described as "TAKEN on a plane."
During a transatlantic flight from New York City to London, U.S. Air Marshal Bill Marks (Neeson) receives a series of cryptic text messages demanding that he instruct the government to transfer $150 million into an off-shore account. Until he secures the money, a passenger on his flight will be killed every 20 minutes.
What did the critics think?
Adam Graham | The Detroit News
"NON-STOP spends so much time trying to outwit the audience it ends up outwitting itself. It's one of those movies where everyone is a suspect and everyone is dismissed as a suspect, and the more they're dismissed as a suspect, the more they start looking like the suspect." Read the full review here.
Kenneth Turan | Los Angeles Times
"Effectively directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, who previously worked with Neeson in UNKNOWN, Non-Stop is a crisp, efficient thriller that benefits greatly from the intangibles Neeson can be counted on to supply." Read the full review here.
Steven Rea | Philadelphia Inquirer
"NON-STOP finds Neeson at it again, although in circumstances that test credulity, and appear to test the mettle of the man himself. Can he stand up to the rickety ludicrousness of this airplane-hijacking thriller, which exploits our fears of post-9/11 travel? Can he make convincing the boozy, rattled caricature he's been given to play?" Read the full review here.
Ian Buckwalter | NPR
"But if it works, it's because Neeson and Collet-Serra, as well as Julianne Moore as Neeson's business-class seatmate Jen, are all fully aware of how ludicrous this exercise is... Neeson does indeed have a very particular set of skills - in elevating the generic action thriller into guilt-free popcorn pleasure." Read the full review here.
Claudia Puig | USA Today
"While it's entertaining trying to suss out who the bad guy is in this mile-high whodunit, it's almost as fun watching a 60ish action star like Liam Neeson take on legions of younger, fitter folks and fend them off. It's TAKEN in the not-so-friendly skies.... While intermittently far-fetched, Non-Stop is a turbulent high-altitude thrill ride with unnerving action scenes, a strong cast and ample tension." Read the full review here.
Susan Wloszczyna | RogerEbert.com
"But what would modern-day thrillers be these days without cell phones as a shorthand way to advance the plot and reduce the need for any actual clever repartee between characters? Especially when the clock is ticking down the minutes until something either goes boo or boom." Read the full review here.
Kurt Loder | Reason.com
"Neeson almost manages to carry the film. At age 61, he's still believably badass, especially in a furious fight scene in a cramped lavatory (although the reason for the fight makes no sense). He's good with this late-career tough-guy stuff, and Collet-Serra has previously shown himself capable of putting the actor through his paces with a certain amount of style. They've already shot a third film together; one hopes the director brought a better script onboard for that one." Read the full review here.
Justin Craig | Fox
"An angry Liam Neeson is a fun Liam Neeson, and Non-Stop gives the brawny Irish star a chance to snarl and flex his might at 37,000 feet. In a career as varied as they come, Neeson has lately become comfortable as America's leading action star. Go figure. From SCHINDLER'S LIST to TAKEN, Neeson proves time and again he can do just about any role... and do it well." Read the full review here.
Comments
Videos