It's the guessing game that makes the plot tick. Our suspicion oscillates back and forth until things come to a head in an explosive finale which is not only heartwarming but also preposterous.
Liam Neeson at 61 seems too jaded to play an Air Marshall, but his backstory gives him enough scope to emote and camouflage this, thereby giving him the lost-to-the-world looks. He is agile and manages to sparkle within the limited space of the aircraft.
Julianne Moore, Michelle Dockery along with all the other suspects give a decent performance.
Lupita Nyong'o, after a brilliant performance in "12 Years A Slave" is wasted in this film as an irrelevant air hostess.
Director Jaume Collet-Serra along with director of photography Flavio Labiano and production designer Alexander Hammond expertly manages to hold your attention in the tense staged drama. The criminal's cryptic text messages layered on to a series of lingering shots of passengers and crew makes an exciting visual experience.
Overall, the logic for the devious plot is wafer thin. This, coupled with the misleading start, pulls "Non-Stop" notches down the viewing scale.