The Commuter is a fast-paced psychological thriller starring the much loved Liam Neeson.
After retiring from the New York Police Department Michael MacCauley (Neeson) becomes an insurance salesman. He has been commuting for 10 years in this role and when he’s fired from his job he at his wits end.
His family’s has an already precarious financial situation and his son is about to head off to college creating more tension.
On his commute home, a blonde mysterious stranger (Vera Farmiga) approaches him with a proposition to find someone who doesn’t belong on the train in exchange for $100,000.
As he works against the clock to solve the puzzle, he realises it wasn’t as simple and his life, his family and that of his fellow passengers are in danger.
Director Jaume Collet-Serra keeps the audience on the edge of their seat with his suspense filled action shots and moral implications faced by the main character.
I loved how Collet-Serra created the opening scene with a montage of Michael getting ready and going to work that all blended together to give the audience a backstory of his life and in particular the daily commute.
Director of Photography Paul Cameron’s work is one of the reasons the film is so successful.
His work following Michael (Neeson) up and down between train cars is flawless. The single take fight scene is a masterpiece of cinematography and I found it hard to believe it could have been done in one take.
At 65 Neeson proves to audiences that he still has it with his acting, fight scenes and ability to capture the audience with his character development.
I personally have never much liked psychological thrillers but after seeing so many films over the last year for review I have changed my tune for this genre.
The Hitchcockian approach with modern films particularly with Nerve and now The Commuter has won me over.
In Cinemas from January 18
