NON-STOP – The Blu Review

NON-STOP, the Liam Neeson hit from earlier this year, was less an action film than an old-fashioned locked-in-the-box whodunnit. During a transatlantic flight from New York City to London (on the fictional Aqualantic airlines) grizzled, hard-drinking U.S. Air Marshal Bill Marks (Neeson) receives a series of cryptic text messages demanding that he instruct the government to transfer $150 million into an off-shore account. Until he secures the money, a passenger on his flight will be killed every 20 minutes. As Bill struggles to find who the murderer is, the ground crew is convinced that he himself has hijacked the aircraft.

On balance, NON-STOP was a lot of fun. It took its absurd premise, which is basically “How do you kill someone on a crowded plane and get away with” and kept it focused, never wasting a moment while pushing its growling hero through obstacle after obstacle. There were a few too many twists and turns towards the end and some aspects erred toward the ridiculous, such as the passengers watching their own drama unfold on cable news, but the moments of silliness were more than balanced by director Jaume Collet-Serra ability to maintain flight-worthy suspense (despite countless scenes of Neeson tapping text messages into his phone). Surprisingly, as the film progressed, the claustrophobic tension didnot give way to overblown digital effects and set pieces. There was an explosion and some gunfire, but most if the fun was had guessing who the culprit was from amongst the 150 suspects (spoiler: it was not the turban-clad mid-easterner). NON-STOP borrowed heavily from other in-flight disasters, and though the formula may be old, it was an expertly handled and delivered enough fun to overlook its plot holes and enjoy for the adrenaline-pumping thrill ride that it was.

Now Universal has released NON-STOP on Blu-ray disc.

The image is a fantastic-looking 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode that nicely complements the stylish photography of Flavio Labiano. Although leaning heavily on the blue and grey palette, the picture  well-captures the sense of claustrophobia inherent in a movie that takes place aboard a plane. The skin tones appear healthy with facial complexions that have a life-like texture to them, and close-ups reveal every blemish, wrinkle and hair on Liam Neeson’s rugged face. Contrast is spot-on, but the black levels could be a tad stronger and seem slightly faded in a couple scenes although delineation in the shadows remains perceptible throughout. Overall, this is a terrific high-def presentation.

The NON-STOP Blu-ray continues the thrills with an electrifying DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack that absorbs and puts viewers right in the middle of the action. Rear activity comes alive right from the beginning with the music of John Ottman, filling the room with a sense of upcoming excitement. It’s consistent and stable, generating an immersive soundfield that only lets up for character interactions. Through all of the action, whispering, and texting that are essential to the plot, the vocals remain intelligible and well-prioritized.

The extras are a bit meager – just two brief featurettes:

Non-stop action – Director Jaume Collet-Serra, stunt co-coordinator Mark Vanselow, producer Joel Silver, and star Liam Neeson discuss the film’s visceral action sequences.

Suspense at 40,000 Feet – is abehind the scenes look with Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, director Jaume Collet-Serra and producer Joel Silver as they discuss the making of the film.

The Blu-ray includes a digital copy of the film.