In “Taken”, Liam Neeson played a former CIA operative who was able to outsmart a sex trafficking ring when his daughter was kidnapped. Audiences (including me) responded well to his take-charge character. His latest film, “Non-Stop”, by Spanish director Jaume Collet-Serra (who previously worked with Neeson on “Unknown”) casts the always watchable actor in a role that couldn’t be more different. This time around, he’s on a plane and someone on board is demanding that $150 million be transferred to a secret account or a passenger will be killed every 20 minutes. Don’t buy the tease. This person means it. To avoid spoilers, I’ll say no more. But you should know that “Non Stop” makes all the right moves, and keeps the viewer guessing its secrets at every twist and turn. It even invites comparisons to such plane movies as “Red Eye”, “Passenger 57”, “Turbulence” and “Skyjacked” with the great Charlton Heston. And yet there’s something missing. Director Jaume Collet-Serra plays its cards right and builds considerable suspense, but the story becomes obvious (and cheesy) by the finale. As a piece of escapist entertainment, “Non-Stop” gets the job done. But with so many good ingredients, I can’t help but feel that it should have been better.

Rating: 2.5/4