NON-STOP

US, 2014, 106 minutes, Colour.
Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Michelle Dockery, Scoot Mc Nairy, Nate Parker, Lupita Nyong’o.
Directed by Jaume Collett- Serra

Non-stop is in the tradition of the airport films as well as disasters on board planes. With its continual reliance on technology, it is very much taking the airport tradition into the 21st century.

The film is a star vehicle for Liam Neeson who, in his later middle age, has proven himself an action hero in the Taken series and Unknown (which was directed by Jaume Collett- Serra, who directed this film). Neeson, a strong actor at any time, has a powerful screen presence, even when he is shown to be a character with many weaknesses – in this case, depression, grief over the death of his daughter from cancer, divorce, losing his police job in New York City, drinking and smoking addiction.

He plays Bill Marcks, now a security agent on international flights. At the beginning, we see his weaknesses, yet his alertness as he goes through passport control and security with the other passengers to board his plane. He dreads take off, but once in the air, and find himself in a dire crisis, with great risk to the passengers and the plane, he combines the intensity of his commitment to solve the situation as well as his own personal anguishes.

While it is all on screen, the situation has a certain plausibility, despite its complexity and its use of mobile phones and texting. But, in retrospect, one wonders about how it all could have possibly been engineered.

On board, is Julianne Moore, sometimes a suspicious character, but someone who stands by the air Marshal during the crises. So does Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) as the main flight attendant. Interestingly, the other flight attendant is played by Lupita Nyong’o, who won the Oscar for Best Actress in a supporting role, in 12 Years a Slave.

The supporting cast draws on character actors like Scoot McNairy?, Nate Parker. Linus Roach (Priest) is one of the pilots.

Tension, of course, is most important for this kind of film and Non-stop certainly raises the tension as we watch the desperate Marshal puzzling over what is happening, enlisting the support of the two women, being muzzled because of protocols by the pilots and by his supervisor whom he talks to by phone. Even the passengers, learning more about his background, try to stage a takeover.

The special effects come into their own at the end of the film, with the handling of the bomb situation and the landing of a plane severely damaged.

In 2012, Denzel Washington portrayed a pilot who had a drinking problem and who was able to crash land a plane and save lives in Flight. A year later, Liam Neeson is there to save the day.

Better to watch this film after a flight rather than before it. Audiences outside Europe might have a wry smile when there is so much in the dialogue about how this is such a tiring long haul flight from the US to London – as long as six hours!

1. An airport thriller, 21st-century style? The genre in the past and the popularity of the airport films, looking at situations, motivations, the passengers, the crew?

2. The plausibility of the situation, the details, the planning, the motivation, the detection?

3. The importance of special effects, exciting, realistic? The final crash? The final bomb, the landing? The tense musical score?

4. The title, long-haul flights, six hour flight seen as long!

5. Liam Neeson as Bill, the introduction, his background as a reliable and decent man, the death of his daughter from cancer, the divorce, his continued grief over many years, drinking, smoking? The NYPD, the momentary slur on his being from Northern Ireland? His security work? The company’s trust? Doubts? Going to the plane, drinking in the car, the phone call? The company, his supervisors?

6. Going into the terminal, his suspicions, watching people, the lonely little girl, persuading her with the doll to go onto the plane? Tom and his comment about going to Amsterdam? The phone caller at the gate? Other people? The looks, suspicions?

7. Jen, asking for a window seat, the various reactions? Changing places with Zach? The other members of the crew, Nancy, the reliability, relationship with the pilot? The two pilots and that friendship? Gwen as replacement? The other agent?

8. Building up suspicions, Bill looking around, people’s dress, the Middle East and look of the doctor, Jen herself and her not replying to questions? Zach and his pleasantness, IT expertise and his helping? Tom and the attack? The New York policeman? The doctor? Others?

9. The pilots, their work, the effect with Nancy? The pilot poisoned and dying? Nancy, her work, Gwen as a substitute? The information, helping, locking the pilot’s door?

10. Bill, the messages, the later information about Zach and his expertise, the alleged perpetrator with the mobile phone in his pocket? The amount of texting, captions rather than spoken words? The agent, knowing Bill, the fight in the toilet, carrying the cocaine, the bomb concealed the drugs, the question about his getting through security? The pilot, the poison, the second victim with the poison? The issue of money, the transfer, $150 million, Bill’s account number?

11. Bill, smoking in the toilet, talking to Jen, relying on Nancy, texting, using his brain, the 20 minute intervals before each death? The phone calls to his supervisor, his lack of support? The captain, the regulations? The details of the set-up? Bill being accused of hijacking, his searching for the phone, getting Nancy and Jen to help, the struggle with the agent, the protocols? The jets flying alongside, orders?

12. The revolt amongst the passengers, the TV information about his being a hijacker, their attacking him, his fighting them off?

13. His finding the bomb, the plan, putting the bomb near the door, surrounding it with cases? Moving the passengers? The change of heart of many of the passengers, especially the New York policeman?

14. Tom, his attack, his being bound, put in the chair? Zach after his help? Their being the perpetrators, their ability to effect the setup? Their experience of war, American security, Zach wanting to live, Tom and a suicide mission?

15. The pilot, the issue of descending to 8000 feet, the impact of the bomb? His decision to move? The bomb going off, the precarious landing?

16. The aftermath, Bill moving from villain to hero? Jen and her support? Crew and passengers all saved?

17. The popularity of this kind of story – and the identifying by people who fly?