Wow! I did not realize how many movies both Liam Neeson and director Jaume Collet-Serra they have collaborated together. I would not put their collaborations up there with Scorsese/De Niro, Scorsese/DiCaprio, Berg/Wahlberg, Tarantino/Jackson, etc. They make solid action movies: I think Non-Stop is an underrated plane thriller that is subtly interesting and has an unpredictable twist that I did not see coming. But, I did like Unknown and Run All Night, even though the latter is a bit retread of Road to Perdition. With their fourth collaboration, I can predict how this story is going to unfold. I will admit I was having fun with Collet-Serra's Hitchockian set-up, however, the plot starts to derail and go crazy as it develops that it becomes forgettable.
Detective Michael McCauley (Liam Neeson) begins his routine by spending time with his family, wife Karen (Elizabeth McGovern) and their son, Danny (Dean-Charles Chapman), before boarding the train to work, interacting with passengers such as Walt (Jonathan Banks). Unfortunately, Walt has been let go and tells his former detective partner, Alex Murphy (Patrick Wilson), as they both observe a news story surrounding a city planner jumping to his death, but also Mike says that he has not told Karen that he has been fired.
Later, on the train ride home, Mike has been joined a mysterious woman named Joanna (Very Farmiga), who tells him that there is a train compartment containing $25,000 plus thousands in cash. He is able to keep the money when he helps her find someone under an alias. She also know his background about him being a former cop and she becomes all-powerful as she guides and warns Mike about other things.
I actually liked the Hitchockian set-up more within its two acts as it crosses both Murder on the Orient Express and Strangers on a Train that sets up an intelligent and quiet mystery full of lies, deception and murder. However, it turns into Under Siege 2 with action and explosions as the train is in peril as it derails along with its story that either does not make sense or it becomes too confusing as to what the plot will entail and what its final destination will be. It is a disappointment because it relies on dumb decisions based on the screenplay that becomes rather ridiculous that I lost interest.
Liam Neeson can portray himself in an action movie quite well and he is still solid and he can still sell it, however, we along with Neeson start to become a bit tiresome after he gets pummeled by many people. He looks a bit exhausted as he is in his 60s and Neeson that he wants to retire from action movies because of his age. Vera Farmiga, without giving anything away, plays a central character that becomes too reminiscent of her character from Source Code but the difference she is a villain here and I did not see much of the connection in her storyline and she is just there to provide suspense. Patrick Wilson, Jonathan Banks, Sam Neill as the Captain are fine in their roles.
The first two acts keep you guessing but then when arriving in its third act, the movie goes haywire and it felt like unnecessary noise that interferes with the atmosphere. It is like fireworks going off while you're at Wine Country. I expected more from the Neeson/Collet-Serra team because if they wanted to stick to a certain tone, they should have because in its third act ruins it. And, who the villain is does not make sense and it is also predictable based on the casting. I'd stream it when it is on cable, rent it to see for yourself, however, prepare to be disappointed by the third act and also its ending.
**1/2
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