REVIEW – “The Commuter” Boards a Rather Silly Trip, That Can Stay on Track Through to the Last Stop

by Joe Hammerschmidt

Would it be unfair to say Liam Neeson, three-time Oscar nominee is still in a typecasting slump where he’s now best known to the present generation of moviegoers as a “fatherly action hero?” Given his panache to still make a towering mountain out of a molehill-sized dramatic role, in the best way (if you haven’t seen Silence, dear reader, you’re missing out), I’d likely say no. Otherwise, it only seems appropriate now to walk away from the action genre to give audiences just discovering his work a chance to branch out just like he is. It is rather a shame, however, keeping his latest film in mind, the fourth time really is the pivotal charm. Neeson reunites with Spanish-born Jaume Collet-Serra (Live by Night, Unknown) for The Commuter, an action film that, for lack of a better term, adheres to that all-too-familiar formula. If you remember seeing Non-Stop, then you may notice the close pattern, which is not as infuriating as one could figure. It’s safe territory to tread, yet it maintains a lightly original quirk to it. Plus, it’s on a train, instead of a plane; we haven’t had too many films lately to involve a train as the main plot device, and this one easily makes the appropriate mark.

Neeson is once again an ex-cop, aging Michael McCauley, ten years off the beat, and now having just been laid off from a steady claims adjuster gig in uptown Manhattan. His financial woes had been too reliant on that steady income, what with a mortgage in default, a doting wife to never let down (Elizabeth McGovern) and a college-bound kid facing high tuition rates (Dean-Charles Chapman). Yes, it’s a formulaic backstory, but I suppose plot motivation is where you can find it best. After denying help from his former partner Alex Murphy (Patrick Wilson), under the watchful eye of dutiful Captain Hawthorne (Sam Neill), Michael heads on that long trip back up to Tarrytown, the same roundtrip he always embarked every day all those ten years he chose to settle down.

The train has its common stable of regulars, notably the shifty Walt (Jonathan Banks), jovial hustler Tony (Andy Nyman), and millennial nurse Gwen (Florence Pugh). But a mysterious newcomer with what may be the solution to McCauley’s troubles, a random lump sum of $100,000. The elusive Joanna (Vera Farmiga) does have one catch, however: use his investigative skills to identify a single passenger with specific criminal ties but do not draw attention.

In pure Neeson fashion, he ignores the warnings, opting for the easy way out, which then turns insanely complicated by the point the first fight sequence starts. At 65, there’s no doubt such epic choreographed stunts, even with a mix of doubles and lazy CGI, can exhaust even the fittest man. They don’t affect his ability to perform any less, he, along with Serra, just persist on pushing a certain imbalance between violent action and a watered-down Murder on the Orient Express offshoot (whichever filmed version is the most superior), even as DoP Paul Cameron (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales) elicits a muddled look throughout.

Therefore, the pair, working off a debut theatrical script from Byron Willinger and Philip de Blasi, find no fault to disguise The Commuter as an action movie wrapped up in an intense mystery drama. It’s a hybrid form that doesn’t necessarily fire on full steam through the whole runtime, yet it manages sufficiently in reaching its thematic stops on time. It’s rather disappointing how much of a cost that may come at, thanks in part to the outright silly nature that ruins the flow of what is an otherwise serviceable popcorn movie. The latter helps in keeping the film watchable, however. Its lack of seriousness is proof positive some action movies can still be a little upbeat, even if they’re intended to come off wearing a dramatic bite (where Non-Stop soured by the halfway mark).

An impressive supporting cast is all nothing more than figureheads at the rear car; another frustrating instance. Seeing Mr. Neill back on the big screen is still a treat, yet he goes rather underused, sitting on the sidelines until police action is most necessary on McCauley’s behalf, which is rather frustrating. Neill is still a definitive character actor for his generation, so he likely deserved a little more screen time. Same goes for Wilson and Farmiga, the latter reduced mostly to phone calls whenever upset about the outcome of events on the trip.

One may wind up pining for more substantial train-based actioners (I may need to consider Runaway Train, for one) after watching The Commuter. It runs on similar tracks, compared to older works, with Collet-Serra too comfortable in opting to repeat himself willingly. I may strongly dislike Non-Stop a little more after surviving this effort, which is fine if this proves a more palatable effort for its genre. Neeson is as comfortable in his niche, still likable when he aims to fulfill his call to action, but a bit muted with how his built-up formulaic pattern loses its cache with each film. A stable, loose plot and some unexpected yuks will make this the kind of film that, unless you’re a huge fan of the director-actor pairing from before, will likely find a wider audience on one of the premium channels in about nine months, predictably playing in the background while cooking dinner. (C)

The Commuter opens in most area theaters this weekend; rated PG-13 for some intense action/violence, and language; 105 minutes.