"Non-Stop" Gets Cautious Thumbs Up From Critics [Trailer + Pictures]

We already know that Liam Neeson is good under pressure – or his characters are, anyway. Now we’re about to see what happens when you put the man up in the air. In his latest film, Neeson plays an air marshall on a non-stop flight, which (of course) gets hijacked. The critics are already (mostly) in love with Non-Stop and with Neeson’s performance in particular.

Believable this is not, but the critics are in love anyway.

“Non-Stop is a crisp, efficient thriller that benefits greatly from the intangibles Neeson can be counted on to supply,” says the LA Times’ Kenneth Turan, noting the tangible urgency in Neeson’s acting, as well as Jaume Collet-Serra’s expert direction.

LIam Neeson [l] and Michelle Dockery [r] in Non-Stop.

NPR’s Ian Buckwalter notes that there’s more to the film than can be glimpsed from the trailer. With all the action taking place within the confined space of the plane, “Non-Stop is less a nonstop actioner and more a high-flying whodunit. As such, it's important for director Jaume Collet-Serra and writers John W. Richardson and Christopher Roach to keep viewers guessing until the big reveal.” In fact, the guessing games might be a tad overplayed, says Buckwalter. The numerous suspects contribute to an already convoluted plot, instead of improving the story. Despite not being the height of storytelling, however, it’s still an hour and a half of Liam Neeson dealing out justice and that’s always an enjoyable time.

If you're still undecided, check out the trailer below.

CM’s own Rich Cline is also not too impressed with the premise, but gives credit to the execution. “It may be utterly ridiculous, but it's played with full-on dedication by a gifted cast and a filmmaker who knows how to ramp up tension out of thin air, so to speak.”

That’s what the critics think anyway. Now it’s time for Non-Stop to head into the weekend and for the audience to have its say.

Julianne Moore in Non-Stop.