The quintessential tough guy is generally envisioned as a musclebound brute in the mold of such heroes as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, or The Rock, but the 2018 action packed thriller “The Commuter” reminds us that even at 65, Liam Neeson is one of the ultimate tough guys in Tinseltown.
Neeson has famously joked that at his age, he can no longer do action movies, offering a quasi-retirement after the cartoonish “Taken” series, but director Jaume Collet-Serra specifically requested Neeson for the role, and it makes “The Commuter” a fun movie to watch, albeit bends one or two rules of reality along the way.
The opening montage reveals to us the ho-hum life of Michael MacCauley; he’s a 60-something working class stiff that rides a commuter rail from Poughkeepsie into Manhattan every day to his droll job as a life insurance salesman (could there be a worse occupation). He’s a typical family man with a loving wife and teenage son who is soon to be off to an expensive college.
“The Commuter” plays on present day middle class American’s daily financial struggles as they work hard to make someone else rich and just look for glimpses of enjoyment, however minute they may be, wherever they can find them. Liam Neeson is perfect as Michael MacCauley, as we would expect no less. He’s just as natural as a white collar flunky as he is at killing bad guys – though trust me, he’ll soon be doing that as well. Its hinted at that MacCauley has a past that is more than is to be revealed, and when a mystery woman (Vera Farmiga) drops a casual threat to him to locate a passenger and a bag on his train ride home one evening, MacCauley is quickly thrust from passive to the next level.
Similar to “The Girl on the Train,” “The Commuter” takes the routine activity of riding on a public transit vehicle and explores the question people watchers all have – who are these strangers sharing life with me, and what is there story. The story does a great job of splicing thrills as MacCauley has a countdown to locate the passenger and bag he is tasked with finding. We see him watching and studying the faces of his fellow riders with a thrilling paranoia, and are soon reminded that its not a good idea to piss off a Liam Neeson character.
While the story revolves primarily around Michael MacCauley, supporting talent like Patrick Wilson and Sam Neill offer recognizable faces, and the beautiful Vera Farmiga is great as the antagonistic mystery woman. “Find him, find the bag. Or there will be consequences.” She coldly instructs MacCauley, and though why we aren’t quite sure why, we can be certain its not for anything good.
The film runs fast with gripping action and suspense all the way. The last sequence runs amok with exaggerated silliness and takes a little back from the rest of the story. You could pick it apart but ultimately its exactly what you would expect when you sit down to watch.
“The Commuter” is a fun movie with action and suspense. It features one of the best actors of all time, and is a good choice for Man Movie May.
by – Matt DeCristo
