The Commuter

Former cop turned life insurance salesman, Michael MacCauley (Liam Neeson), is tasked into sleuthing out a fellow passenger on a commuter train by a mysterious woman (Vera Farmiga) with a sinister plan. But what are the driving forces behind this plan and just how far will all parties go to ensure their own success? Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra this ridiculous romp feels like the cross bred result of a film straight out of the Taken franchise and a flash back to 1994’s Speed, which is to say, it’s good to see Liam Neeson getting the opportunity to really stretch his abilities #sarcasticeyeroll. But, despite the lack of originality quotient running hot, the film still somehow manages to engage the audience in a moderately compelling manner just the same; then again, that could also be the inducing and effective musical score of Roque Baños, tough call. Perhaps best considered a Saturday matinee type film when it winds up on cable in the next few weeks, sometimes one just has to set their bar low in order to be pleasantly surprised. The Commuter is rated PG-13.