Bill Marks searches the plane for the hikacker

Non-Stop – US Air Marshall, Bill Marks, is a washed up alcoholic. When he boards a flight heading for London, he soon starts receiving anonymous messages threatening to kill one passenger every 20 minutes if $150 million isn’t transferred to a bank account immediately. With the culprit on board but without any idea as to who it could be, Bill frantically searches for any clues that could lead him to the truth as quickly as possible. Without the support of his superiors and discovering that he is being framed as a hijacker, Bill soon starts to lose control over the situation. Knowing that he is the only person who can save the plane he must decide who he can trust to find out the identity of the real criminal.

Non-Stop (2014) – Director Jaume Collet-Serra

Is Non-Stop appropriate for kids

Rating: 12

Running Length: 106 mins

Starring: Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Michelle Dockery

Genre: Thriller

REVIEW: ‘NON-STOP’

Continuing his penchant for full on action movies, Liam Neeson stars as a down-and-out air marshall who, despite having hit rock bottom, still desperately does everything he can to save the lives of the plane’s passengers. While this could easily have turned into a generic action flick, ‘Non-Stop’ is much more of an adrenaline-fuelled thriller as the focus is much more towards the suspense rather than punch-ups and shootings.

While there have been many similar movies in the past, ‘Non-Stop’ manages to stand out by being much more intelligent; keeping the audience guessing from start to finish. Neeson, as usual, plays the ‘everyman’ role well and is very believable as a good man who has lost everything. The supporting cast is also very realistic as passengers of a hijacked plane, with plenty of suspicion and prejudices to keep their fear and paranoia levels high. Not knowing who the criminal is means that the audience react to the suspicious nature of each character and therefore everyone is a suspect!

While the action is few and far between, this movie is anything but boring. The tension ramps up as the film progresses and, while several parts could be quite twee, thankfully the realism shines through and there are very few clichés. ‘Non-Stop’ is an exciting drama that is likely to be a pleasant surprise for anyone expecting another ‘Taken’.

CONTENT: IS ‘NON-STOP’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

The movie begins with Bill sitting in his car drinking whisky from a cup although there are no actual signs of him being drunk. There are then several mentions of him being an alcoholic throughout the film. Other characters drink alcohol on board the plane and Bill smokes on the plane a couple of times, covering the smoke alarm with tape to prevent anyone being alerted to it. One character finds a large amount of drugs on board the plane and tries a small amount to check that it is real.

During a panning shot of the plane, there is a brief 5 second shot of 2 characters under a blanket, having sex. The female character giggles and the lowered voices of her and a male character can be heard. This is not explicit as the blanket covers both of them completely and it is likely that a lot of children may just believe that these characters are kissing. One character is found to have been taking photos of a woman’s cleavage although this is not gratuitous.

One of the few action scenes is quite intense. It takes place in the plane’s restroom and is therefore in a very confined space. One character presses hard on a vein in the others neck and the fight ends when one character has their neck broken. This is very quick and not particularly graphic.

A couple of characters are killed by poisoning. Both are shown to suffer for a short amount of time, gagging and choking. One of them foams at the mouth before collapsing dead on the floor.

The main concern for parents is likely to be the tone of the film. It is very adult in nature and the threat that Bill receives (one passenger to be killed every 20 minutes) is very real. This could be a little disturbing for children, especially as the film doesn’t shy away from following through on the villain’s promise.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?
VERDICT: IS ‘NON-STOP’ FOR KIDS?

‘Non-Stop’ is a high-octane thriller that won’t disappoint any Liam Neeson fans. While it isn’t the usual action-packed fare that we might be used to, the excitement levels remain as high as ever. While this is definitely aimed towards an adult audience, it is likely that a lot of older children will also enjoy the suspense. As most of the tension comes from the dialogue, it is likely to be too boring for young kids. Depending on sensibilities towards cursing, we would recommend this movie as appropriate for kids aged 8 and over.

  • Violence:  2/5 (one short but intense fight scene towards the beginning. The finale includes two characters being shot; a little blood but nothing too graphic is seen. One character is engulfed in flames but this is quick and not gory)
  • Emotional Distress: 1/5 (Bill reveals what happened to his family around half-way through the film. This is a little upsetting but should not cause too much distress)
  • Fear Factor: 3/5 (a lot of suspense. The majority of the movie shows how dangerous fear and mob mentality can be)
  • Sexual Content: 2/5       
  • Bad Language: 4/5 (A couple of mild blasphemous words and infrequent moderate cursing throughout so it is difficult to avoid. One strong curse word is used during an intense scene)
  • Dialogue: 1/5 (one character says ‘my fairy brother’s getting married to a guy with a British accent’)  
  • Other notes: Deals with themes of alcoholism, threats of violence, hijacking, terrorism, protecting the innocent, facing a difficult past and fighting for what’s right even when everyone is against you.

Words by Laura Record

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