Non-Stop

“If I get a script I like and the main character is described as 32 or 33 years of age, I tell my agent I’m too old for the lead and he says, 'Don’t worry, it will be changed.' And a couple of months later the same script comes back but the character is described as in his mid-fifties. That’s quite funny." – Liam Neeson

One cannot but wonder how a 62 year old manages to pull off roles that demand so much of even guys half his age.  Probably started 9 years back with Batman Begins (2005), moving on to Taken (2008), The A-Team (2010), Unknown (2011), The Grey (2011), Dark Knight Rises (2012), Taken 2 (2012) and now Non-Stop.

Federal United States Air Marshall (how is that for a long designation) Bill Marks (Liam Neeson) is an alcoholic.  He drinks on the job but is known to be an upright person.  He is a familiar but not so loved face with the airline. His duty today is on the British Aqualantic Flight 10 to London.

A few minutes into the flight, and our man gets into the washroom for his customary swig and a smoke – don’t try it on a flight because just taping the smoke detector doesn’t work; the alarm will still go off.  As he steps out, his official phone (that works on a separate network) goes off.

Marks is informed that on the “Non-Stop” flight (and that’s how the movie gets its name), a person will be killed every 20 minutes unless $150 million is deposited in an account number.  The “hijacker” is proactive enough to give the account number immediately.  And true to his word, one person gets killed in 20 minutes.

Non-Stop isn’t a brilliant action movie by any standards and in many ways it is as predictable as the list that I called out a few paragraphs before.  The setting moves into a riskier one of an aircraft.  The time-line gets shortened to about 6 hours instead of the customary 24-48 hours.  Barring that, it is old wine – new bottle with some decent one liners and great effects.

That being said, it is still as exciting. Another time, and it may just get a tad boring and so Run All Night (due for release this year) may find it challenging if there is nothing dramatically different.  As such, I enjoyed the experience of Non-Stop and say that it is worth a dekko.  May not be on the big screen but definitely on TV.  6 on 10.

Watch the trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1005889561/?ref_=tt_ov_vi