The Commuter (2018)

Director: Jauma Collet-Serra

Writers: Byron Willinger, Philip de Blasi, Ryan Engle

Composer: Roque Banos

Starring: Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Jonathan Banks, Sam Neill, Elizabeth McGovern, Killian Scott, Shazad Latif, Andy Nyman, Clara Lago, Roladn Moller, Florence Pugh

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Lives Are On The Line

Plot: A businessman is caught up in a criminal conspiracy during his daily commute home.

My rating: 7.5/10

Will I watch it again?  Yes.

If you're on the fence about this like I was, go see it.  It's a fun action thriller that doesn't insult the audience.

Ever since I signed back up for Movie Pass (all you can watch movies (sort of) in the theater for $10 a month) I've seen more theatrical movies than usual and that means I get to see a lot of the same trailers over and over and over.  This picture looked like it was either going to be lame as fuck or decent.  Well blow me down because it's I really liked it.  I kept waiting for the story to literally derail into stupid territory loaded with plot holes.  I'm sure if I watched it again I might find something to bitch about but for a first time watch I was frankly shocked it's as good as it is.  It's well acted, there's some good suspense, the story unfolds in a reasonable fashion so as to avoid the typical dumb Hollywood bullshit.  There's a little of the latter but it's handled so well and subtly that I didn't mind it at all.  And the tag at the end set a few weeks or months into the future was fucking great.  I loved it!  Sam Neill isn't in it much and it kind of makes me sad in a way that it's come to the point in his career where he's taking on small roles like this because little of substance is coming his way.  But then maybe he's doing this for a buddy or something.  One thing I liked is the deft manner in which people are not who they seem.  Director Jaume Collet-Serra is very good with action thrillers (I also really enjoyed his UNKNOWN (2011), also with Neeson) so it's natural that his next project is Disney's JUNGLE CRUISE.  Seriously, his next movie is JUNGLE CRUISE.  No, really.  I'm not joking.  Look it up.  It's JUNGLE CRUISE.  I'll see it.  It's one of my favorite rides at Disneyworld.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!  YARRRRR!!!! 

UPDATE 1/30/18:  I suspected there might be a plot hole if you looked at this closer...The entire movie hinges on one stupid thing; the person with the highly sought after information is told by the FBI to take the train where they'll be met by agents at such and such stop.  Why wouldn't they just send agents to pick them up?  They obviously think this is important enough to make sure there are agents to meet them at the stop so why take a chance and just do it right?  Maybe the villain pulling the strings arranged it that way despite probably protocol.  I'll go with that.  It's still a very good movie.