[Movie Review] ‘The Commuter’ is a little more exciting than it sounds

The Commuter. (Shaw Organisation and STUDIOCANAL S.A.S.)
The Commuter. (Shaw Organisation and STUDIOCANAL S.A.S.)

With a nondescript title and Liam Neeson as the star of the film, unspoken expectations have already been set about “The Commuter”. As you may have guessed, the thriller is about an ex-cop who is forced to complete a seemingly impossible task on a public train by a mysterious stranger. However, there’s far more to this task than meets the eye, and it will take all of his wits and skill to unravel a deadly conspiracy.

The Commuter. (Shaw Organisation and STUDIOCANAL S.A.S.)
The Commuter. (Shaw Organisation and STUDIOCANAL S.A.S.)

“The Commuter” takes quite a while to get to its premise, ie, showing Michael (Liam Neeson) actually commuting and getting into the thick of things. But even when the story starts in earnest, there’s more mystery than action. The film’s plot is somewhat like whodunnit, with one major problem.

The Commuter. (Shaw Organisation and STUDIOCANAL S.A.S.)
The Commuter. (Shaw Organisation and STUDIOCANAL S.A.S.)

You don’t really know enough of the suspects to make an informed guess.

For a whodunnit to be executed well, the film has to first establish all the possible suspects so that you have a fair chance of “solving” the mystery along with the protagonist. However, the introductions are done so briefly and inconsequentially that audiences don’t actually know how to solve the mystery. When the big reveal arrives, it’s a letdown because you could have not have feasibly guessed it for yourself. There’s just not enough information delivered properly for you to make any sort of reasonable conclusion about the mystery.

The Commuter. (Shaw Organisation and STUDIOCANAL S.A.S.)
The Commuter. (Shaw Organisation and STUDIOCANAL S.A.S.)

The mystery element wouldn’t be such an issue if there were more action, but that only takes place in the last quarter of the movie. The brawling and violence come in the final act, when the film takes a leap from plodding thriller to wham-bam action film. Liam Neeson’s fights are gritty and impressively done, with well-choreographed fight scenes shot in a single take. But they all start coming in rapid succession a little too late in the film, when you may have lost interest in what’s happening.

The Commuter. (Shaw Organisation and STUDIOCANAL S.A.S.)
The Commuter. (Shaw Organisation and STUDIOCANAL S.A.S.)

The friendship between ex-cop Alex Murphy (Patrick Wilson) and Michael is one of the stronger relationships with the movie, and their dialogue and rapport is solid and believable. Yet when it comes to the other characters, the dialogue is reduced to quips and snarky comments, which seem more like they were written for a movie trailer than a full theatrical presentation. The script seems a little disjointed from this perspective.

The Commuter. (Shaw Organisation and STUDIOCANAL S.A.S.)
The Commuter. (Shaw Organisation and STUDIOCANAL S.A.S.)

The oddest aspect of the film has to be the omnipresent, omniscient antagonists — whom, logically speaking, should have no trouble accomplishing the task that that Michael is supposed to perform. This makes the plot seem like an incredibly contrived coincidence that requires so much exposition that the film would have been better off not explaining it. You’ll find yourself frequently wondering why the bad guys don’t just do it themselves, if they’re so all-knowing.

The Commuter. (Shaw Organisation)
The Commuter. (Shaw Organisation)

If you’re watching the film for Liam Neeson, you won’t be disappointed. He delivers on both the intensity of his performance and the quality of the action, despite his age. It’s not as action-packed as “Taken”, but this seems like an intentional decision by the filmmakers. He says a variant of his famous catchphrase from “Taken”, although it remains to be seen if this will be a line that sticks in the public consciousness.

The Commuter. (Shaw Organisation and STUDIOCANAL S.A.S.)
The Commuter. (Shaw Organisation and STUDIOCANAL S.A.S.)

“The Commuter” is not as boring as it sounds, but it’s not as interesting as you’d expect either. You’re really there for the last 30 minutes of the film — the rest of it doesn’t quite tease the senses or the mind as much as you’d expect it to. There is some potential for it to be a series though, given how certain plot lines are unresolved. The question you have to ask yourself is: Would you watch it just for Liam Neeson?

The Commuter. (Shaw Organisation and STUDIOCANAL S.A.S.)
The Commuter. (Shaw Organisation and STUDIOCANAL S.A.S.)

Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? If you like Liam Neeson.

Should you watch this if it’s free? Yes.

Score: 2.5/5

Running time: 105 minutes (1.75 hours)

Secret ending? No.

The Commuter is a thriller with some action elements at the end.

It is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and written by Byron Willinger and Philip de Blasio, with additional screenplay credits for Ryan Engle. It stars Liam Neeson (Michael McCauley), Vera Farming (Joanna), Patrick Wilson (Alex Murphy), Jonathan Banks (Walt), Elizabeth McGovern (Karen McCauley), and Dean-Charles Chapman (Danny McCauley). It is rated PG13.

This article first appeared on and was written for Yahoo Singapore.


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I’m a Singapore television scriptwriter who’s written for Lion Mums, Crimewatch, Police & Thief, and Incredible Tales. I’m also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find me on social media as Optimarcus and on my site.

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