Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10
Cast: Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Jonathan Banks, Sam Neil, Elizabeth McGovern, Kilian Scott, Andy Nyman, Shazad Latif, Clara Lago, Florence Pugh, Roland Moller, Dean Charles Chapman, Ella Rae-Smith, Colin McFarlane, Nila Aalia, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Adam Nagaitis, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Damson Idris, Ben Caplan.
No matter what we believe, we all have a price that is offered in which we might be tempted to do something that would otherwise go against our centre of morality, our code of honour; it could be bought on by desperation, greed or just a moment of madness in which the brain wanders and thinks well why not, I could do so much with it, and who would know.
For Michael MacCauley, a former Police officer turned insurance sales agent, the temptation is brought to his attention when he turns 60 and his life is considered not worthy of keeping on at the office he works at. Temptation is considered, briefly to be very much in that ball park; he is a good man, a good family by his side, but like millions who have seen their lives reduced to hitting rock bottom by the most corrupt of systems, temptation is not greed, it is just a way out of the immediate crisis.
The Commuter asks a pertinent question, one that fits in with the times we live in; just where is the point where you say yes from years of saying no; the price tag becomes higher, your resolve at some point becomes lower, you might say a stupid figure knowing they will take the responsibility from you and say no themselves but then they affirm the price, the question of your morality unfolds and soon your life becomes a train ride to Hell and back.
Whereas the premise of The Commuter seems incredibly familiar, it is a ride in which we can empathise with, our own train wreck might not be as meticulously planned but it still can be derailed and it is too that the film becomes a relatable, if a little far-fetched.
The Commuter is standard fare, the classic trope of violence and intrigue in one complete story, it is Liam Neeson territory all over and rightly or wrongly, it is a genre that the fine actor has become embroiled in and has embraced for all it is worth.
Not the best film you will ever see but it does offer the opportunity to relish what could have been if Liam Neeson had taken the coveted role of James Bond.
Ian D. Hall