The Commuter - Just a one way ticket please
Story is a bit. Well. What do you expect? It's a full on action flick. Though it has some redeeming moments, a few clever twists or turns can't save it from the banality that it promises (and delivers). To clarify, there are more not-quite-so-clever twists. Acting is okay. Though as of late, Liam seems to be doing mostly more action oriented projects for some reason, he has skills that he's acquired over a decently long career and know how to use them. Even if he has to play roles as inane as principled ex cop with money troubles on a train. His co stars, or co passengers, pull something around their own weight. They play their parts as they are, they're not really playing characters, with little time (or need) for development. The jerk is a jerk, the teenage girl is a teenage girl, the random friend is a random friend etc. Visually the film is laughable at times. It's not Scorpion King level bad, but the CGI is terrible. On the plus side, those moments add to fun. I guess. Also the camerawork tends to go overboard for no reason other than... I don't know. It looks cool? It might've if they wouldn't have mixed it with bad CGI. These sort of things tends to happen when you've got nothing to show. Fight screens are decent(ish). Sound or music wise I'm trying to remember if there is anything to comment. I can't think of anything so I'm putting it on the plus side. Emotions and atmosphere seem written, not to say forced. The director Jaume Collet-Serra was either offered a lot of money to do this or he is also very principled and does not negotiate with terrorists. He should, however, make an exception and try to negotiate with the producers, because this could've been a totally different kind of film. But everybody likes fireworks I guess. Even if they don't mean anything. Because they mostly don't. So you forget them soon after.
S
2018