The Commuter (I) (2018) User Reviews (499)

Who is the genius wrote teh screenplay?

[dothancore · 6/10 · 15 July 2018]

Love Neeson but The Commuter has one of the most ridiculous plots I have ever seen, even for an action film. Nothing make sense, literally, NOTHING:

1) The nemesis, Joanna (played by Farmiga), who is off the train, seem to know every single move MacCauley (played by Neeson) made throughout the entire event, she was always able to call him at the exact moment each critical task was completed, how did she pull it off? No logical explanation is ever given to the audience

2) It's even more ridiculous, when Joanna called MacCauley to witness through the train window, a random passenger Walt (played by Banks), who just got off the train, being shoved in front of a bus, because MacCauley stealthily slipped Walt a note asking him to contact the police. How did Joanna find out? We don't know. How could Joanna time the whole sequence of events so perfectly (sent her accomplice after Walt, anticipate there will be a bus coming, anticipate MacCauley has a straight line of sight to see Walt being pushed on a street at least a block away from the train platform, how does she know Walt will even take that route, ...), we don't know.

3) Train derailed at 70 m/hr., but all windows intact, none of the remaining passengers seemed to have a scratch

4) After the train derailed, none of the passengers seemed too eager to get off the train. And they weren't being held hostage

5) While being surrounded by scores of police + FBI agents, a rogue police officer Murphy (played by Wilson), stepped onto the train, pretending to negotiate for hostage release, but with real intent to kill the witness. Keep in mind, there are at least 10 passengers on the train at the time, and the police seem to be using some sort of heat-signature technology to watch every movement inside the train car. So what is the end game here? Does Murphy intent to commit mass murder to eliminate all passengers, while FBI is watching outside? If not, how does he intend to get away with murder if the rest of passengers just saw him kill the witness?

6) Why the FBI send the witness on the train, instead of picking her up? Won't that put the witness in unnecessary danger?

7) If the rogue and "powerful" organization know exactly where the FBI will pick up the witness (Cold Spring), won't it be easier just send a hitman squad to kill the witness + FBI agents at destination? Why even bother to derail a train and kill everyone on board? Both carry a death sentence anyway

How? How? How? How? How? How? How? How?

Liam Neeson played by Liam Neeson. You've seen it before. But, it's still entertaining.

[MickandRorty · 6/10 · 12 January 2018]

There are certain actors in Hollywood that are so one-dimensional, but they play that one-dimension spot on. Liam Neeson is one of those guys. Another example is Jason Statham. Their roles are all the same, scripts slightly tweaked, yet the movie passes of as decent-to-good almost every time (except for the Taken sequels, but that isn't on Liam).

Bottom line is, it's basically the movie non-stop, but on a commute instead of a plane. Liam Neeson plasy his same old self and plays his usual one-dimensional badass role. He did his job once again. This movie will bring in okay-enough numbers, and we will be presented with Liam Neeson's next challenge in about another year.

Same old, decent-enough action movie.

6/10

Decent Thriller Derailed by Ridiculous Third Act

[fletcherc21 · 6/10 · 15 January 2018]

SPOILER: The Commuter delivers what it promises, a Liam Neeson action movie that relies on tension and a little bit of mystery to fill out its runtime. It begins very well with minimal exposition for the set up, using images or short conversations to explain what most movies would carve out five minutes of dialogue for. From there it evolves more like a mystery with an ordinary man in an extraordinary situation searching for someone on the train. As it enters the third act, it goes full action movie with explosions, fight scenes, and massive stakes. While this was to be expected from Jaume Collet-Serra, it undermines what had been a more contained thriller up to that point.

It is shot well enough and uses an ensemble cast well, but no one besides Liam Neeson really has too much to do. Vera Farmiga and Jonathan Banks are both talented actors that are really underutilized. All in all, The Commuter is another Liam Neeson action movie that could be best described as "Nonstop on a train."

Wow, this died fast

[kuarinofu · 6/10 · 19 April 2018]

The movie started off good, showing the daily routine, introducing the characters and setting up the mystery. The editing was interesting and even a little artsy, yet it got me hooked. I really enjoyed the first 30 minutes.

It was setting itself up to look like an intelligent mystery action. Having Neeson in this kind of movie spoils a lot, yet I thought this would be something different from his typical movies since he's getting older. I haven't seen the trailer though, just went to see the movie straight away.

After everything is set up, it just turns into a totally divorced from reality generic conspiracy action. The premise was indeed as silly as it gets. The ending was as unsurprising as possible. Omnipresent supervillains who can plan and predict everything by the smallest detail, control the situation without even being close yet fail at the most obvious things. The plot just plays itself, at times Neeson is not even doing anything to change the situation, it just changes by itself to adapt to his needs. This is not a well written movie. The ending had me saying "oh, no, you're not doing this...oh God".

Seeing Neeson perform ridiculous stunts was also a little confusing. No one should see an old man getting beaten like that. This just looks wrong.

Overall, next time I'll want to see a cop/witness drama routine, I'd better go re-watch 16 Blocks. At least it had characters instead of comic book villains.

Nothing new from Neeson, in a good way (and a bad way).

[liamhorsfall · 7/10 · 13 January 2018]

If you've seen one Neeson film, you've probably seen them all. Despite having already mastered the art of playing the grizzled, independant tough-guy, Neeson is back with The Commuter, in which he plays an unsuspecting ... well ... commuter, who is drawn into a criminal conspiracy which could kill everyone on-board.

It's a familiar sounding plot, but it's one that Neeson excels in, in fact, he may be too good at it by now. With all that said, The Commuter, much like Taken, Taken 2, Taken 3, Non-Stop, A Walk Among the Tombstones, Run All Night and Schindlers List, is another fun Neeson film which you'll probably enjoy much more than you'd be willing to admit.

A Bad Day

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 2 May 2018]

The former cop and insurance agent Michael MacCauley (Liam Neeson) loses his job when the company where he works is downsizing. He goes to a bar where he meets his former partner and friend Alex Murphy (Patrick Wilson) and tells that he has not told the news to his wife Karen (Elizabeth McGovern). While commuting home, a mysterious woman called Joanna (Vera Farmiga) offers a game to Michael where he would locate a commuter in the train and receive a large amount. When Michael finds the money hidden in a wagon, the woman informs that he has accepted the offer and need to find the person in a few moments; otherwise his beloved family will suffer the consequences. What will Michael do?

"The Commuter" is another entertaining Liam Neeson´s action film. The unlikely story has promising beginning but the conclusion is absurd and funny. Despite the clichés, the non-stop action does not let the viewer think and in the end, "The Commuter" is a decent film. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Passageiro" ("The Passenger")

"Non Stop" on rails: thoroughly familiar yet thoroughly enjoyable

[paul-allaer · 7/10 · 12 January 2018]

"The Commuter" (2018 release; 103 min.) brings the story of Michael McCauley. As the movie opens, we get to know Micheal as he goes about his daily routine of waking up at 6 am and getting ready to take the commuter train in Manhattan, where he works at an insurance company. Then one day, out of the blue, Michael is fired from his job, for no apparent reason and just as he needs the money to pay for his son's expensive college. Afterwards he commiserates with a buddy (and that's when we find out Michael used to be a NYC cop). On his commute train ride home, Michael gets approached by a mysterious woman who makes him an offer: identify the person who doesn't belong on the train, and get $100,000 in return. She tells him there is a $25,000 upfront payment in the bathroom. When Michael goes to check there, he can't believe it but yes, there's the money. He decides to take it. It's not long before strange things start to happen... At this point we're less than 15 min. into the movie, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is, if I'm counting right, the 4th collaboration between Spanish director Jaume Collet-Serra and lead actor Liam Neeson, after "Unknown", "Non Stop", and "Run All Night". (Collet-Serra also directed the excellent shark-drama "The Shallows".) Just looking at these prior films, you know EXACTLY what you are signing up for if you decide to check out "The Commuter". In fact, this movie could be called "Non Stop on Rails". Just like that earlier movie playing out on the one air flight, much of "The Commuter" plays out on the one commuter train ride back to suburban NYC. If this sounds like like a negative, you might be wrong, as I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what the heck was going on (in the best possible way). One-time 'serious' actor Liam Neeson's transformation into one of the best and most reliable action movie stars is absolutely remarkable. He brings a certain weight and charisma into these roles that not a lot of action movie stars have. Keep an eye out for an all-too-rare sighting of Elizabeth McGovern (as Neeson'swife). Sam Neil has a small role as the Police Captain. Vera Farmiga is her usual great in the small role of the mysterious woman. But in the end, this is of course the Liam Neeson show all the way.

"The Commuter" opened wide this weekend. The Friday early evening screening where I saw this at was not attended very well, and surely the inclement weather here in Cincinnati was a large factor in that. I was in the mood for something to entertain me, and "The Commuter" was just what the doctor ordered: thoroughly familiar, yet thoroughly enjoyable too. If you are a fan of Liam Neeson's action movies, you cannot go wrong with this one. "The Commuter" is a WINNER.

Liam Neeson

[jrdedgar · 6/10 · 24 November 2018]

Liam Neeson has a bad day. Liam Neeson is on a train. Liam Neeson has to do something he doesn't want to do. Liam Neeson's family is at risk. Liam Neeson.

If you understand those few sentences then you basically know the whole plot.

Action scenes were good. Storyline was terrible. Predictable twist. Movie was utterly pointless. Everything you want and expect in a Liam Neeson film.

Nothing really new for Neeson, but still kinda fun

[bigfatmouth-23883 · 6/10 · 16 January 2018]

I admit that Neeson's films are a bit formulaic, but it can still be a fun time to while away some time. He certainly doesn't break any new ground and his nemesis doesn't break much ground, either.

Perhaps someone can clear something up for me regarding normal MTA -vs- commuter rail. Is it safe to assume that a commuter rail train leaving Penn Station would not be stopping at MTA stops in Manhattan? I'm not even from NYC, but I was fairly certain commuter rail lines wouldn't have their first stop until they were at least out of Manhattan. That really bugged me in this move.

Too implausible

[mycannonball · 3/10 · 15 October 2018]

I wanted to like this. It's cool that Liam Neeson launched an action-hero career later in life, and while I loved him in Taken, it seems like he's mostly picked nonsensical action scripts since then. For example, Non-Stop was far-fetched but if you did a little extra suspension of disbelief (which I did), it turned out to be a pretty good thriller. But this?? This?!

This is one of the silliest, most implausible scripts ever written. The entire premise makes zero sense. ALL-SEEING, ALL-KNOWING "Bad Guys" (Well, Vera Farmiga) can make literally anything happen at any time, kill anyone inside or outside the commuter train, and see what's going on inside the commuter train at all times - and yet they can't locate and kill the single witness who's on the train. Thus, they need to pull Liam Neeson's strings to make it happen. The implausible moments pile one on top of the other throughout the film.

However, the film does have some very good action sequences, so if you're going into without any concern for story at all, you might have some fun with this one. Mindless action. But come on, Vera Farmiga, I expect much better from YOU!

Fun movie, worth seeing on a big screen with big sound

[BibChr · 8/10 · 12 January 2018]

Neeson creates a likable, sympathetic character. This is necessary for the heightening of tension, which screws on inexorably until you just don't see any way out for him.

The camera-work was particularly masterful - creative, meticulous, thought out to a granular level. There are two particular action-pieces towards the climax that are breathtaking, at least one of which looks like (but surely isn't) a single, extended take. The camera defines space and gravity, and is part of the expeience.

Yes, there are some credibility straining factors. But it is after all a movie, not a procedural. On the other hand, there are some very neat surprises.

Glad we saw it!

Strangers on a Train

[rbrb · 7/10 · 11 January 2018]

This is a decent action-thriller movie.

A long time train commuter is surprised by a stranger on a train with an enticing offer; after a bad day at the office the commuter is dragged into an ever spiraling dangerous ride.

There is danger, suspense and intrigue.

Ok so parts of the story may be far fetched but all the players give first rate convincing performances and aided by a distinct feel of realism during the train journey, these factors convinces me the movie deserves a solid:

7/10.

Plot problems

[dondutton · 2/10 · 9 September 2018]

A conspiracy of powerful people needs a witness killed...they have so much power that they kill others just to convince Our Hero that he has to comply with them and finger the witness. What is never explained is why they just couldn't do the job themselves...since they could even cause a train crash on which the witness and Our Hero was riding. If they had just crashed the train, they could have killed all on board and solved their witness problem. Wha's a little collateral damage? Instead, they get Our Hero involved and things go awry. We could see that coming, why couldn't they?

You know the drill, but it still is a fun ride.

[JohnDeSando · 10 January 2018]

"You have no idea who you're up against." Typical dialogue from a typical thriller typically starring Liam Neeson.

If you think The Commuter is another cheesy Neeson thriller following the same weary plotline with his character saving the day, you'd be right. Yet, you'd be wrong if you didn't think this ersatz Hitchcockian thriller was a guilty pleasure because it is. In the spirit of Strangers on the Train and Speed, this whodunit travels at the speed of a runaway train and makes Murder on the Orient Express look like a sleeper car.

Mike McCauley (Neeson) gets drawn into a murder plot by femme fatale Joanna (Vera Farmiga) on a phallic train north out of Grand Central Station (North by Northwest anyone?) with a tight time frame, of course, and his family endangered if he doesn't help . He sells insurance and is ill-prepared for this dangerous ride.

The rest is boilerplate B movie thriller porn as it showcases a few bodies and many motives like a Golden Corral smorgasbord. As trite as it is, and you don't need to have seen Neeson's Taken or Non-Stop to figure what will happen, it moves like a, well, runaway train.

One fight sequence is a barn burner using everything available in the car from a guitar to an ax, seeming to compete with the memorable upstairs-downstairs fight sequence in Atomic Blonde. Both supposedly used one take, but that is arguable, yet even with heavy help from CGI, both seem seamless and get your blood speeding from your heart like, well, a high speed train.

Next time you think you'll enjoy the surprise company of a lovely blonde, get off at the next exit and take the bus. Or just enjoy this clichéd thriller that still manages to thrill.

Part Hitchcockian whodunnit and part white-knuckle thrills, 'The Commuter' overcomes what it lacks in logic with well-executed suspense and action

[moviexclusive · 7/10 · 10 January 2018]

Hard to believe that it has been 10 years since Liam Neeson became an unexpected action star with the lean, spare but brutally effective thriller 'Taken', and in the decade that's passed cemented his late renaissance with well-executed B-movie fare like 'The A-Team', 'The Grey', 'Unknown', 'Non-Stop' and 'Run All Night'. The last three were also notable for being collaborations with director Jaume Collet-Serra, and the now 65-year-old has extended their team-up with 'The Commuter', which sees Serra further lay claim to a modern-day Alfred Hitchcock with a couple of high-wire scenes that would certainly make the latter proud.

As with before, there is a high-concept scenario at the heart of this deliberately old-fashioned thriller: an everyday insurance salesman Michael McCauley (Neeson) finds his routine evening commute back home from work disrupted by the enigmatic stranger Joanna (Vera Farmiga), who sits opposite him on the Metro-North train and offers him a hefty financial reward if he is able to spot someone on the train who isn't a familiar face. In order for Michael to be tempted in the first place, first-time screenwriters Byron Willinger and Philip de Blasi set him up to lose his job on that same day, leaving him floundering over his two mortgages as well as tuition fees for his college-bound son - although because this is Neeson we're talking about, you know Michael will eventually do the right, honorable and even heroic thing.

To up the ante, Michael is only given slightly more than half an hour before the train reaches Cold Spring to find the individual he is told later on goes by the name of Prynne; and to raise the stakes, it turns out that Joanna has also held his wife and son hostage, both of whom she threatens to kill if Michael fails to complete his mission. True to his Hitchcockian ambition, Serra spins an intriguing web of mystery over most of the middle act, and there are at least three riveting questions that are teased. Who is Prynne? Who is Joanna and/or the people she is working with or for? And finally, what does Joanna want with Prynne? These in turn translate into solid character work for the proverbial strangers on the train whom Michael probes to locate his mark - among them a feisty college student (Florence Pugh), an arrogant Wall Street banker (Shazad Latif), an emotionally distraught nurse (Clara Lago), a tattooed bruiser (Roland Moller) and a taciturn teenager (Ella-Rae Smith).

Yet Serra is all too aware that a whodunnit in and of itself is unlikely to satiate a good proportion of his audience, who are here to watch Neeson engage in the sort of close-quarter fisticuffs a la 'Taken'. So in between playing detective, Michael also gets a couple of well-choregraphed brawls - one of them takes place in the confines between carriages, while another that is impressively done in a single take plays out over an entire carriage with everything from a gun, an ax, a guitar and seat cushions used as weapons. There is visibly concerted effort to keep these fight sequences real, so even though Neeson's character is revealed earlier on to be an ex-cop, the film doesn't (thankfully) use that as an excuse to gift him with "a very particular set of skills" to take down his opponents too easily, skilfully or neatly.

Like other locomotive-set thrillers, this one doesn't escape without the train in question going out of control and then literally off the rails. That it is well-staged is undeniable - not even some subpar CGI in some shots can detract from the sheer white-knuckle tension of seeing almost the whole train flip into the air - but this spectacle-fuelled conclusion arguably strains the credibility of the high-concept movie even further, and is therefore both better and worse off for it. Notwithstanding, Neeson remains through and through the film's emotional centre, conveying the frustration, helplessness and resolve of a regular guy who is trying to get his life back in control from those that have snatched it away from him. Lest we forget, this is a role that the thespian can easily do in his sleep, but Neeson still brings his considerable gravitas to bear.

Mind you, not all the gaps in the narrative will be filled in by the end (which seems to set up the possibility of a sequel) nor will some of the explanations pass muster under closer scrutiny. Still, a film like this isn't meant to be held up under such examination or intended to offer any more than solid B-movie guilty pleasures; on the latter count though, it does succeed brilliantly and beautifully by mixing classic Hitchcockian tension with adrenaline-pumping action. We dare say that it ranks among one of Neeson's best in his action oeuvre, and if you're in the mood for some pulpy thrills and suspense, then you'll definitely want to get on this train.

lol

[salome_badashvili · 6/10 · 25 January 2019]

Yeahh really lol...from the first scene seems that Joanna is controlling everything , she has people everywhere and boom in the final moment MacCauley and all others are heroes...my Gosh :))) let's see if she know that Walt get message from MacCauley it means she is watching them everywhere and she knows everything , every number , she has people in that train ...so what the hell ? :D that's funny but anyway it's not bad movie if you don't mention ridiculous plot :DD turn off your brain mode and watch it like that :D

An action thriller that isn't brain-dead

[isabellacheng · 7/10 · 16 April 2018]

From the trailer we know that Michael (Liam Neeson) is an ordinary commuter who one day is given a vague task by a mysterious woman to identify a passenger who "doesn't belong" on the train. And there is going to be action involved.

Since others have reviewed pretty much everything about this movie, I will tell you 3 positive aspects that most reviewers have missed:

• There is deduction. More importantly, the process of deduction. Besides making observations of his own, Michael leverages on his personal connections with other frequent commuters to help solve the mystery in a believable way.
• The action sequences have far fewer cuts than something like the Taken trilogy, especially the second fight (granted, there are hidden cuts). Hence the fights are much easier to follow.
• More realistic injuries. People can get injured in a fight and do get injured, and not every side-character who got injured suffers instant death.

If you already like action thrillers, then this one is certainly above average in that category. Worth watching!

Oh btw the producers definitely lost a lot of money during the subprime crisis. ;)

Dumb formulaic thriller

[neil-476 · 6/10 · 1 May 2018]

Michael MacCauley has been flogging insurance for 10 years after leaving the police force, when he is summarily fired for no reason. On his train journey home, a mysterious woman offers him $100,000 (badly needed for his son's college fees) to find a mysterious stranger with a mysterious bag somewhere on the train.

Liam Neeson finds himself with a different name but in familiar territory as this urban paranoia action thriller unfolds. And, as with all such movies, much of the strength lies in the denouement - does it play fair, or do you find yourself wishing for something with a bit more credibility? Well, despite a police sniper looking to take MacCauley out in the ruins of a derailed coach, I was OK with the ending.

Hindsight shows the rest of the film to be full of stuff which doesn't make as much sense as you would wish, though. Everything associated with the task he is given is carefully engineered for obvious cinematic suspense purposes, and not with any sense of credibility. The train - 100 miles long when you're inside it, quite short when you see it from outside - is crammed full of deeply suspicious individuals, most of whom are carrying mysterious bags. Menacing mystery woman (the always watchable Vera Farmiga) manages to phone MacCauley at every moment when she needs to do so for dramatic purposes, irrespective of whether he has a phone or not.

This is a not very good film which manages to be tolerably entertaining, largely because of Liam Neeson's screen presence. It passes the time adequately.

Moving train

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 24 March 2018]

Well it could have been stopped and waiting at a station. But of course it is way more interesting this way. Not that it makes much sense or anything, but Action (Grand) Hero of the moment Liam Neeson is at it again. And he can carry this movie as he did with some of the other movies he did. If you don't mind the gaps (no pun intended), then you will have fun with this.

Still the end is way over the top and you may shut off any regards to reality or whatever. Other than that, this is also quite predictable and the "what would I do" some may have at the beginning, may go away pretty quickly. Coincidences and other stuff happen randomly, but due to the stunts and because it somehow works overall, this is quite entertaining

Derivative but still entertaining

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 13 September 2018]

"The Commuter" is a suspenseful, energetic thriller starring Liam Neeson as an ex-cop who has just lost his job with an insurance company after ten years. As he's riding home on the train mulling over his huge financial obligations, he receives an offer from a woman (Vera Farmiga) with big money attached. It's an offer he can't refuse. Or can he?

You cannot believe what Liam Neeson does on this train. Not only does he pace back and forth in an attempt to find a certain passenger, but at one point he hangs off of the train, looks in people's bags, gets into a fight in between cars, finds dead bodies - leading to a wild climax (if none of that was enough).

A couple of things, for me anyway, were predictable but in no way did it dampen my enjoyment and nervous stomach. Very well directed.

Disappointingly ridiculous and far-fetched

[daniele-iannarelli · 4/10 · 16 December 2018]

Well, what can I say...?

Started off as what seemed like a good storyline idea and so I thought I was in for a good film, especially with gorgeous Vera Farmiga being in it (although, as it turns out, her appearance was, sadly, only briefly at each of the start and the end).

Like the train in the movie, the story became a runaway disaster... more and more far-fetched and ridiculous as time passed.

Neeson's character (although supposedly 60 years of age) looked older even than the actor's true age of 66 at the making of this movie. Ridiculously, the character must have possessed Marvel comics style mutant/superhuman powers, having the combined physical fitness of what would have to have been (given what he went through) equivalent to that of dozens of gold-medal Olympic athletes.

Furthermore, he showed not too many bumps and bruises for it all at the end of all his troubles. His clothing was also all pretty much intact with barely a torn seam to be seen!

The train-crash effects were well done although typically predictive and thus oh-so-boring now.

To cap it all off, the final straw was to force upon us the cringe of an hilariously silly "I'm Spartacus" moment towards the end.

Don't get me wrong, I like Neeson, I like Farmiga (yummmm), I like Jonathan Banks and I - sort of - like Sam Neill, and Patrick Wilson is 'okay'... but this movie became nothing but an utter disappointment after such an interesting beginning idea.

I think the highlight of the movie was a very cleverly designed roll of end-of-film credits, laid out in London schematic Tube Map style format (as designed by Harry Beck in 1931). So, for that I'll add an extra rating point, plus another one for Vera Farmiga.

So, final total for me... a (lucky) 5/10 rating.

Although Neeson's films r more like a déjà vu, he is definitely d new king of action films.

[Fella_shibby · 9/10 · 31 March 2018]

The character development scene showing Neeson's humdrum existence is very well done. Also noteworthy is the amount of tension created. I found the twist predictable but there r lots of other twists and turns. It is a solid entertainment n Neeson's fans like me will not b disappointed. I hav become a fan of this director. Jaume Collet-Serra has given some solid thrillers: House of Wax, Orphan, Unknown, Non-Stop, Run All Night and The Shallows. And as far as Neeson is concerned he is d new king of action films. Although he has turned into a deja vu, but it is always solid fun to c him in action n thriller films. I missed seeing this on a big screen. Saw this on a pirated hd dvd copy.

Great cast, bad script

[benjicaunce-19647 · 6/10 · 27 December 2018]

The Commuter's cast is better than its workmanlike script - which helps make this reasonably diverting Liam Neeson action thriller worth the price of a matinee ticket or rental, if not a full-price ticket.

Forgettable, preposterous, cliched fare.

[paulclaassen · 3/10 · 5 December 2018]

In the beginning, the film has a very effective way of showing the passing of time through clever photography and editing. Unfortunately this was about as much as I enjoyed about the film. NOTHING about the plot is believable. In fact, I'd go so far as calling it preposterous. There's just so much wrong here, if I were to highlight these scenes, I'd end up talking about the entire film.

If Vera Farmiga's character, Joanna, and her organisation is so technologically advanced that they can see and hear Michael (Liam Neeson) every step of the way - and his family! - why can't they find Prin themselves? Why do they need Michael? And why set up someone if they can easily erase their trace? When they allowed Michael to listen to his family, his family just happened to talk about him at that very second. Yeah, right, that's so believable...

This film blatantly borrows from Non-stop, Unstoppable, Knowing, etc. that it should be considered a crime. Even the train crash scene was equally overdone as the crash scene from Super 8. When the police arrives at the train crash scene, there first reaction is to draw their guns and ask Michael to step outside. Are you friggin kiddin me!! The crash site looks like a war zone and they're not even interested in the well-being of the passengers (or hostages, as preposterous as it is). No ambulances rush to the scene?? No fire engines??? On the news they say no word of casualties... That's because no-one bothered to check yet!!

This was cliche upon cliche and elevated to the point of stupidity during the final act. Similar to 'Non-Stop', this is equally forgettable. (What was the point of 'Non-Stop' again...??)

Snakes on a Train, crooked people that is.

[TxMike · 11 May 2018]

My wife and I watched this movie at home on DVD from our public library. It is the right length, just over 90 minutes, and kept our interest the whole.

Yet this is a throw-away movie, the story is highly contrived to create suspense. For example he is told to look for a passenger "who doesn't belong" yet the people manipulating him know exactly who the passenger is.

My other issue with it are the fights, hand-to-hand combat in a moving train, they are shown to hit each other so hard, sometimes with devices (guitar!) that would kill them yet they recover very quickly. It definitely subtracts from the believability.

Yet overall I found it suitable entertainment because I like Liam Neeson, he is perfect for this type of role. He is Michael MacCauley, an insurance salesman, who commutes by train along the Hudson River and into NYC each day. After 10 years he pretty well knows all the usual commuters. But this day he is laid off, he has two mortgages, his son is about to start college, so when he is tempted with $100,000 cash to perform a task it gives him the motive to accept it. As a former cop he has the investigative instincts.

The DVD extras are interesting, except for brief NYC scenes the whole movie was shot on sets at Pinewood Studios in England. They say 90% of the actors are British but I didn't try to verify that number.