The Netflix Liam Neeson Mystery Thriller Leaving Streaming Deserves More Attention
With a name like Non-Stop, you would think a film wouldn’t have an expiration date. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with this underrated Liam Neeson action thriller. You only have a week left to catch Non-Stop before it disappears from streaming.
The 2014 movie, also starring Julianne Moore, leaves Netflix on December 31. Non-Stop came out the same year as Taken 3 and was overshadowed by the third entry in the seminal Liam Neeson action franchise. Set almost entirely aboard an airplane, the taut, claustrophobic thriller has more than enough to set it apart from its more famous cousin.
Liam Neeson As Federal Air Marshal Bill Marks
The movie follows Bill Marks (Liam Neeson), an alcoholic former NYPD officer turned Federal Air Marshal. Marks is flying from New York City to London when he receives a mysterious text saying that every 20 minutes, a different passenger on his flight will die unless $150 million is transferred to a specified bank account. Marks engages the help of fellow passenger Jen Summers (Julianne Moore) to help him find and stop the mysterious texter.What follows is a suspenseful cat-and-mouse game 30,000 feet above the ground. Full of plenty of action and bolstered by a strong performance from the always-fantastic Liam Neeson, Non-Stop is a thriller must-watch.
The Production
Non-Stop was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, who previously collaborated with Liam Neeson on the film Unknown (2011). The movie was written by a trio of talented screenwriters: John W. Richardson, Christopher Roach, and Ryan Engle. It was the first feature-length screenplay for all three writers.The movie began filming at York Studios in Maspeth, Queens, New York City, on November 1, 2012. It was the first movie to be filmed at the newly built York Studios. Collet-Serra shot parts of the movie at JFK Airport in NYC and Long Island MacArthur Airport.The crew at York Studios was forced to build the main Airplane set a bit larger than an actual standard commercial airliner. This was done to accommodate Liam Neeson, who, at a height of 6′ 4″, required the increased size to avoid ducking all the time.
Liam Neeson Got To Keep His Accent
Liam Neeson retained his natural Irish accent for the role of Bill Marks, something rare for the actor. Much like Arnold Schwarzenegger before him, Liam Neeson was often cast as an American agent or soldier with no explanation given as to why he spoke with a thick Northern Ireland accent. Non-Stop is the rare film to just have his character hail from Neeson’s actual homeland of Ireland.
How People Reacted To Non Stop
The movie performed well at the box office, earning a total of $222.8 million worldwide against a budget of $50 million. Non-Stop garnered mixed reviews from critics. On one hand, many of them praised Liam Neeson’s performance as Marks while simultaneously lamenting that the story wasn’t better and wishing the other notable actors weren’t wasted in their roles.The movie currently has 62 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, putting it above average but only just. Meanwhile, fans seemed to have the same mixed response, judging by the 63 percent audience score.
Last Day To Stream Non Stop Is December 31
Is Non-Stop a perfect action film? No. The third act gets pretty out there, and talented actors like Lupita Nyong’o aren’t given much to do. Is the movie still worth a watch? You bet!Liam Neeson is always worth your time, and Non-Stop is arguably one of his better performances. The movie might not blow you away, but you won’t be sorry that you took a few hours out of your day to watch it.But you better hurry. Netflix is dropping Non-Stop like a bad habit on December 31.
