Poor Liam Neeson. That guy has bad new follow him around like a lost puppy. Actually, he is kind of asking for it in this movie. He plays an air marshal who hates to fly, and he hops on board a transatlantic flight in First Class. For some reason, they call it Business Class, but that is definitely First Class treatment he's getting up there on our tax dollars, so I hope he hates the flight. Well, he does.
Liam plays an alcoholic who makes a lot of bad decisions, and he makes lots of them in the time span of this movie. That's okay, because it keeps the movie rolling ahead like it's supposed to. They call this an action movie, but there isn't nearly as much action as you might expect. It's probably best described as a thriller, but it has a mystery element to it. It cost $50m to make this movie, and I am at a loss as to why; the entire movie takes place on board the plane.
Julianne Moore is a slight romantic interest who sits next to Liam on the plane and experiences the issue with him, helping where she can. Julianne and Liam... yes, I think I know where the $50m went. Even though she was one of the focal characters, Julianne doesn't make much of an impression while she's on screen. Her role could easily have been filled by anyone, as not a whole lot of actual talent was really required.
There are a whole host of other characters that are in the movie to give suspicion to from the captain to the co-captain to all of the stewardesses to an NYPD cop to a computer nerd to... well, everyone that you would want to throw suspicion on. Liam communicates with the bad guy via a closed, secure system internal to the plane that only he and the other Air Marshal should be able to access. So, there is taunting and prodding and deadlines and account numbers and everything that he has to deal with.
The pace of the movie is excellent, and I think that's really what a thriller relies most heavily on. From one problem to the next, Liam has to get in under this deadline and that deadline all while fending off questions and demands from irate passengers and airline staff alike. It's not so much of a head scratcher or deep thought movie, but it is an enjoyable one.
Action was good
Acting was very good
Direction was very good
Pacing was excellent
Cinematography was very good
4.25/5