Liam Neeson is one of those actors who has truly morphed their career over the course of several years.  At one time, he was a very serious actor, working in films like Schindler’s List and Gangs of New York.  However, recently, he has shifted into the action movie scene, famously launching himself into the genre with the release of the box-office hit Taken.  Since that movie came out, he seems to have focused on a more action driven filmography, with a sequel to Taken, Unknown, Wrath of the Titans, and A-Team.  And, to be frank, this hasn’t exactly produced his best quality works, as the only one of his action movies so far that I found entertaining was the original Taken, it has certainly brought some money.  This, in Hollywood terms, mean it is a successful and lucrative path.  Thus, Non-Stop was created, pinning Liam Neeson up against a terrorist attack on a plane.

Neeson plays his standard character of late, a depressed and alcoholic ex-something who has lost parts of his family due to some form of trauma.  He now works as a Federal air Marshall, monitoring flights in order to keep them safe from possible terrorist attacks.  When he gets on his current flight, from the United States to London, a terrorist hacks into his phone and threatens to kill people on the plane if Neeson doesn’t get him one-hundred and fifty million dollars.  And, in usual thriller fashion, there are many twists and turns to make sure that you as the audience member doesn’t figure out who the killer is.

And, true to the form that he has moved into, Liam Neeson plays this character archetype very well, with his sad but professional attitude and dark demeanor.  It has become odd, in recent years, to see Neeson express any form of joy in his characters, and this role will continue to make the archetype of him being a somber and stoic man going.  His good acting is what keeps us involved in the movie, as it is fairly standard fare in regards to the genre.  There are many red-herrings in order to throw the audience off track, characters making moves to question our trust of them, and the regular twist of having Neeson be framed as the villain.  The rest of the characters, unfortunately, aren’t much to speak of, simply pieces to a puzzle that Neeson has to solve.  Julianne Moore,  who sits next to Neeson on the flight and grows at attachment to him, tries to introduce some lightheartedness to the situations, but falls unfortunately flat, as do all of the film attempts at comedy.  Any time the film tries to be light, the movie feels like it has had a miss-step, at quickly shifts back into being an action thriller.

The action, when it happens, is fun.  It looks and feels similar to the action in all of Neeson’s recent films, and it breaks up the thrilling elements well.  but, that’s not to say that the thriller elements don’t keep us excited, watching Neeson put the puzzle together while we try to do the same.  It is, essentially, a color-by-numbers thriller, but it is held together by the presence of its lead.  It is good, but I always fear this kind of film becoming a recurring trend in movies.  Every once in a while, a movie that doesn’t push any boundaries is fine, but it is always better to see a movie take chances then follow the regular path.  I recommend it to Neeson and thriller fans, who want a movie they will like while they watch.