"Non-Stop" took audiences by surprise when it hit theaters on Feb. 24. This film delivered with s top-notch cast, including Liam Neeson ("Taken" and "Schindler's List") Julianne Moore ("Blindness" and "Crazy, Stupid, Love"), Tom Bowen, Michelle Dockery and Nate Parker, just to name a few. The films initial success begs the question, what has "Non-Stop"done differently than other action films that produced such high interest?
Bill Marks is a U.S. federal air marshal with a turbulent past. Marks (Liam Neeson) is an alcoholic, ex-cop who enrolled in the Air Marshall service following the death of his cancer-stricken daughter, divorce from his wife, and eventual discharge from the police force. In the middle of a routine non-stop flight from New York to London, Marks receives text messages on his phone with startling information. Every 20 minutes that pass, an onboard passenger will be murdered unless $150 million is transferred into the texter's presumed bank account. Instead of following the prescribed protocol, Marks confers with Jack Hammond, the other air marshal on flight. Hammond is compromised as he attempted to smuggle cocaine in his briefcase. This revelation causes Marks to kill Hammond in the bathroom, which in turn scripts the first death of the 20-minute mark. Marks teams with the flight crew and Jen Summers, Marks' neighbor throughout the flight. Yet, another 20-minute mark passes and the captain falls victim to the terrorists' death threats and dies of a poison dart.
The onboard passengers go into hysterics as they are quickly convinced Marks is hijacking the plane. The bank account mentioned in Marks' texts belongs to Marks and a passenger uploads video of Marks treating suspects irrationally and aggressively. With the hysteria building, can Marks find the culprits of the murders and convince the public of his innocence?
As you can see, the plot is simple. But with state-of-the-art graphics, explosions, and acting by big names, the movie is very appealing. It may not be the best movie of all time or even this year, but, you should watch "Non-Stop" when it comes to your provider's On Demand feature, Netflix or rent it from your local Blockbuster, if there are any still around.
Gloryeanne Lindenmuth can be reached at gloryeanne.lindenmuth@student.shu.edu.
