'Non-Stop' did have potential. With an intriguing premise, and great actors like Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore, what could go wrong? Sadly, while 'Non-Stop' did do some things right it also did a lot of things wrong as well. One of those films where a good but not great film turned into a mediocre and disappointingly uneven one in the last third.

The film does look great, the cinematography is slick and often adds to the atmosphere created, the lighting is moody and neither garish or drab, the special effects are good and don't overload the film in quantity and the confined location is well-chosen and creates a genuine sense of claustrophobia, a feeling maintained for two thirds of the film. The score is also suitably moody, not sounding too obvious or manipulative.

Neeson is a very strong, commanding and appropriately stoic presence, and doesn't lag too much at all in the more action-oriented parts. 'Non-Stop' is atmospherically directed too, and the film is quite good and watchable for two thirds of the duration, the pace takes its time but didn't feel too draggy and there was plenty of suspense and tension with great use of misdirection.

However, the rest of the cast don't make much of an impression. Moore does do her best and she isn't bad but her character didn't feel needed to the story and added little. Chemistry with Neeson was bland. Of the supporting cast, the best performance came from Linus Roache, but his role is not big enough to shine properly. The rest consist of either talented actors who have nothing to do (Michelle Dockery and especially the completely wasted Lupita Nyong'o) or those who overplay or underplay (didn't buy the villains' performances for a second).

'Non-Stop' is most let down by a mess of a last third. Not that the film was perfect up to then, because it wasn't, with a less than stellar supporting cast, the film lacking some momentum in the second half onwards and a patchy script. The last third really underwhelms in nearly every way, it is here where the film particularly loses momentum, the dialogue is particularly hammy (that speech in particular) and it goes overboard in implausibility and lack of credibility, while the final solution is underdeveloped, overplayed and incoherently convoluted.

All in all, promising start and not bad for two thirds of it but the last third really let things down. 5/10 Bethany Cox

NON-STOP is another movie featuring Liam Neeson in his newfound 'hard man' role following on from the success of TAKEN. This time around, he's a boozy Air Marshall working a routine flight who suddenly finds himself caught up in a murder mystery involving ransom demands and some high-octane action. Pretty soon it's a race against the clock to stop the murderer from committing any more crimes.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this film, given the middling reviews; after all, Neeson's last film UNKNOWN was a disappointment. The good news is that NON-STOP is a lot better, a film that holds it together for the most part. The main thing is that it keeps you watching throughout with nary a slow moment in sight. Neeson is on strong form as the grumpy antihero and I particularly liked his brutal treatment of the suspects - no nice-guy pussyfooting around here, just blunt force when needed. Inevitably the scriptwriters throw in a few fight scenes to keep action fans happy and they all work very well. The script is tight and focused and kept realistic as possible, only becoming over the top in a few moments.

The film isn't perfect, but the problems tend to be minor. I could have done without the SHERLOCK-copying on-screen texts, and I could have also done without the disappointing Julianne Moore once more forced down our throats in a role she really isn't suited for. In fact, not many of the supporting cast are that great, apart from maybe Linus Roache. Still, this is a film which is all about the plot and for the most part it works; I know I enjoyed it.

Bill Marks (Liam Neeson) is a federal air marshal on the job flying from New York to London. Then he gets text messages breaching the secured network threatening to kill somebody in 20 minutes unless he pays $150 million. Hammond (Anson Mount) is the other agent on the plane but he denies sending the messages. Jen Summers (Julianne Moore) is the woman who switched seat next to Bill. Nancy (Michelle Dockery) is a flight attendant. Austin Reilly (Corey Stoll) is a NYPD detective. It's a thriller and a mystery as Bill struggles to find the criminal sending the texts.

Liam Neeson has become the great intense leading man. It has good tension. Being stuck on a plane is always a good way to create tension. It's relying on lots of twists and turns. If the audience doesn't get bucked off, it's a fun ride. Sometime after the reveal, there is a build up of way too many crazy things. The little girl is one too many. It didn't necessarily buck me off completely but it came close. At least, it's a terrific fun ride for most of the movie.