The Commuter

Liam Neeson on a train and is being blackmailed in The Commuter. If he fails to obey some mysterious orders then people around him will die. Wait a second, that sounds awfully similar to Non-Stop which also starred Neeson, and wow it's even the same director! Who said originality in movies was dead?

I too was once a commuter like Neeson in this who woke-up early before the sunrise and would travel far into the city to work a long day. And, as with the film, my train would be very quiet towards my stop as everyone seemed to either have better working hours or lived in a far more convenient location. Thankfully my working situation changed but seeing the trailer for this brought back memories and had me intrigued. I knew this wasn't going to be a masterpiece but even Non-stop had some redeeming features so I had hope.

Unfortunately Neeson has a bad start to the day with getting fired. He has a drink with a friend played by Patrick Wilson, a basic movie mistake of getting a name to play a seemingly minor role, and thinks about how he'll tell his wife that their future plans are in jeopardy. He then boards the train to go home, chats with the regulars (maybe it's an American thing) but is then approached by a mysterious Vera Farmiga to locate a mysterious target. Things soon get serious as they usually do and it's not long before Neeson is making a scene claiming that he is trying to save everyone, just as he did in Non-Stop.

This could have been a fun action-mystery flick but it's far too muddled and convoluted to engage with. And if you forgive the pun, it really goes off the rails towards the end with a ludicrous action sequence that belongs in a cartoon. But Neeson does his best and gives a strong performance as a man who's life is about to fall apart. His likability kept me watching however I can't recommend this trip for any commuter.