For over a month, the mystery of the Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 has gripped the world, starting an obsession with its disappearance and what could have happened.
People have speculated about the fate of the Boeing 777 jetliner with 239 people onboard. The most shocking of all theories … a terrorist takeover. Hollywood works fast and a film about the missing flight could possibly already be in the works, but director Jaume Collet-Serra may have just won the race with his movie full of twists and suspense, Non-stop. The film may have been released days before the disappearance, but the world-breaking news definitely helped pull in the audience. I have always been a fan of action movies that take place on planes. It could be the claustrophobic aspect or the fact that you have nowhere to go when you’re miles high – either way, there’s something about moving vehicles that make the films much more appealing. This isn’t a Snakes on a Plane type of film; it grips you and leaves you on the edge of your seat throughout. Imagine Taken… on a plane. Not surprisingly, the star in this film is also Liam Neeson. He stars as Bill Marks, an air marshall, who after years of alcohol abuse seems to hate his life. The audience are introduced to Bill as he takes a few sips before boarding a ‘non-stop’ flight from the US to London. Although Bill has been drinking and is tired, he is alert and must do his job. However, once they are up in the air, things quickly go wrong when Bill receives a text message. It’s a private number and the only people who have access to the phone in order to message him are in the government. However, he quickly realises that this is certainly not a member of the government. The mysterious texter asks for $150 million to be transferred to a bank account. When Bill refuses, the person on the other end promises that a passenger on the flight will be killed every 20 minutes until the demand is met. And the anonymous person isn’t telling fibs as the number of dead bodies start piling up. For those of you who watched House of Wax or Orphan, you will know Collet-Serra for his morbid and dark material. He also loves using twists that he brings to life using stylised filming techniques, so you are guaranteed to be left either shocked, or, in my case, a little disappointed by the ending. However, the pace of the movie is so fast there’s no time to be bored and the script is well enough written to keep you guessing throughout. Neeson has a mature ‘action hero’ arrogance. He plays the part so well and always takes control of crazy situations. Guaranteed, Neeson fans will enjoy this movie, he kicks so much butt, it’s hard to believe he’s 61-years-old. Julianne Moore plays a passenger sitting beside Bill. She acts as her usual loyal and trustworthy character and definitely won’t be remembered for this role, but does a good job regardless. House of Cards’ Corey Stall is also a great addition to the cast. He plays a police officer who decides to help Bill. The great thing about this film is you never know who is really on Bill’s side, are they really as trustworthy as they seem? There’s even a recent Oscar winner in this film, 12 Years A Slave’s Lupita Nyong’o … it’s just a shame she’s only in it for a couple of minutes. Overall, this film may not win any Oscars, nor will its stars this time around, but if it were ever to come on TV, I wouldn’t hesitate to watch it again.
