Non-Stop Review

Grade: B+
One-Liner: The thought-free thrill ride you've been waiting for!

If I'm ever in danger, kidnapped, or dealing with a terrorist, Liam Neeson will be my first call. Before the head of the FBI, the police, or even Olivia Pope, I'm calling Neeson. It doesn't matter if he's a drunk, asleep, or blind, he can get the job done. And that's exactly what he did in Non-Stop.

Neeson's latest hair raiser featured him as federal air marshal Bill Marks, defending a plane of 150 passengers from a terrorist threatening to kill one passenger every 20 minutes. If you can put aside some of the more ridiculous moments toward the end where he performs gravity-defying feats of Liam Neeson-ness, Non-Stop is thoroughly enjoyable.

It's the perfect superficial cherry on top of the months of the ice cream sundae of Oscars nominees. It tastes a bit sweeter after taking in all those thought-provoking films.

Neeson wasn't the only impressive cast member by any means. The air marshal's red-headed side kick, Julianne Moore, was the perfect potential villain with her shifty eyes and vague backstory.

And the kind-hearted flight attendant, Michelle Dockery, was just as tough as Downton Abbey's Lady Mary. As is true of any good action thriller, almost every noteworthy character was a plausible suspect at one point or another and sadly my prediction didn't pan out to be the guilty party.

Naturally, the sole Muslim passenger turned out to have nothing to do with the terrorist's attack and was actually a doctor who helped Neeson as passengers started to drop like flies. And though the other passengers made stereotypical and offensive comments about the doctor throughout, the film's rugged hero never doubted him for a second. Cuz he's a good man, dammit!

Non-Stop might get lost in the doldrums of the post-Oscars season, but it is just as riveting and suspenseful as other airline action flicks like 2005's Flightplan and Red Eye. It will likely have a prosperous future of endless reruns on FX. As long as you aren't planning a Transatlantic flight anytime soon, check it out for a mindless thrill ride.