The Plot

A businessman is caught up in a criminal conspiracy during his daily commute home.

The Good

Liam Neeson adds to his ever growing catalogue of action films that have clogged his career since the surprise hit of 2008’s Taken withThe Commuter. This time however it’s his wife and son as opposed to his wife and daughter who are in danger as they’re taken hostage offscreen in an attempt to force Neeson’s aged ex-cop Michael MacCauley to do ‘one little thing’ for the mysterious Joanna (Vera Farmiga) which will result in the death of a passenger.

With a supporting cast which includes Patrick Wilson, Andy Nyman and the underused performances from Sam Neill and Jonathan Banks, The Commuter certainly has enough star power to reel you in. Most surprising of all is Florence Pugh who is completely unrecognisable from her previous role in Lady MacBeth, so much so that this writer didin’t even notice her, which is the highest of compliments.

The story is easy enough to follow and plays out at times like a backwards modernised Murder On the Orient Express (though without any gorgeous moustaches) and no matter how ludicrous it gets the entertainment value is just the same as director Jaume Collet-Serra’s previous work (The Shallows) and works as a worthy addition to the now trilogy of collaborations with Neeson after 2011’s Unknown and 2014’s Non-Stop.

The Bad

Having already taken on the Harrison Ford trope of ‘where’s my wife and son!’ it’s a shame to see that Neeson doesn’t utter the phrase ‘get off my train’ at any point. Furthermore it’s a shame he doesn’t kick a train in the face which is what this writer was looking forward to. Suffice to say if you go into this looking for anything serious you’ll be deeply disappointed and may miss the action packed fun that The Commuter provides. If the homage to Spartacus doesn’t have you giggling away then you clearly aren’t the audience that the producers are trying to hook in.

The Ugly Truth

At its very essence, The Commuter is perfect Saturday night multiplex fodder that, if you’re close your logic can very easily become a highlight of the years cinema trips. It’s not necessarily Schindler’s List nor is it at the very top of Neeson’s recent action collection. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be a damn good 105 minutes to spend.