The Commuter (15)
Thriller/Suspense/Film Noir
Rating: 3/5 - worth watching
Synopsis
Diligent and hard-working life insurance salesman and former cop Michael (Liam Neeson) is a nice guy. He has a content home-life with his wife (Elizabeth McGovern) and two teenage sons, one of whom is about to start College.
And he enjoys his job, guiding people toward the right policy for them. One day, his boss fires him for not hitting enough targets due to his moralistic salesman style.
Boarding his train home, he is approached by the nice and seductive Joanna (Vera Farmiga) with a proposition. He will receive $100,000 in cash if he puts a tracking device on another passenger.
She gives no further details but makes it clear she knows him well. Michael is interested but as he tries to locate the passenger, he realises he is being set up to be blamed for their murder and works to make sure they and the other passengers leave the train safely.
Review by Jason Day
Despite ticking all of the boxes on my list of films I loathe and detest, finely honed by my keen sense of cinematic prejudice before setting foot in a multiplex, I quite enjoyed The Commuter.
It's complete and utter nonsense of course, as you can detect from the summary above (why trust a stranger, whom you know to be a thoroughly upright and dependable old man, to help you kill someone?) but the director invests time and effort in crafting believable characters into the wildly unbelievable set-up they are written into.
It helps that the cast, almost without exception, play these telling little parts to the absolute hilt.
The final film comes across as an action-packed Murder On the Orient Express (with Neeson as a gruff, Irish Poirot who uses his fists) that, whilst never for one second suspending your disbelief that this situation might happen, manages to entertain and even amuse.
Leave your brain on the floor and enjoy the rush-hour set-pieces.
For more, read the full review: http://bit.ly/commuterfilm
Cast & credits
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra. 105mins. Ombra Films/StudioCanal/The Picture Company. (15)
Producers: Alex Heineman, Andrew Rona.
Writers: Byron Willinger, Philip de Blasi, Ryan Engle.
Camera: Paul Cameron.
Music: Nicolas De Toth.
Sets: Richard Bridgland.
Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Jonathan Banks, Sam Neill, Elizabeth McGovern, Killian Scott, Shazad Latif, Andy Nyman, Clara Lago, Adam Nagaitis.
Never miss leisure news in Milton Keynes - Follow us on www.twitter.com/thisistotalmk
And on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thisistotalmk
