Liam Neeson plays Michael McCollum, a man who discovers he has no memory of how he got to work that morning. That discovery leads him to believe he has been kidnapped. The movie then shifts to reveal he has been hired to commit a murder, and the rest of the film follows him as he tries to survive the train ride.
The premise sounds like a thriller. On screen, it plays like a routine Liam Neeson vehicle, one built around action set pieces rather than character or tension.
Trailer, via Lionsgate Movies.
A Man With No Memory
The opening section, where McCollum wakes up with no memory of how he got to work, is the film’s best idea. It builds a sense of dread that the rest of the movie never quite matches. Once the plot turns toward the murder contract, the stakes shift from personal to generic, and the movie loses its grip on the audience.
Neeson carries the film with his usual physical presence. He moves through the action scenes with ease, and there are moments where his performance holds together the increasingly shaky script. But the material asks him to play a man both hunted and hunting, and the two roles rarely sit comfortably together.
The Train Set Pieces
The set pieces are the reason anyone watches a movie like this. They are loud, fast, and often staged with real care. The train itself becomes a weapon and a prison at once, and the filmmakers know how to use that space to create narrow escapes and sudden attacks. These sequences are the film’s strongest elements, and they are also the clearest sign of what could have been a tighter, sharper picture.
The supporting cast fills out the world around McCollum without ever feeling essential to the plot. Patrick Wilson plays the man hired to kill him, and he brings a quiet menace to the role. Vera Farmiga appears as McCollum’s wife, and her scenes give the movie its few genuine emotional beats. Neither actor gets enough material to justify their presence, but both bring professionalism to a script that doesn’t ask much of them.
Where It Falls Short
The film’s biggest problem is pacing. The middle section drags as McCollum moves from car to car, trying to find the man who hired him while avoiding the police. The tension should rise steadily, but it dips instead, leaving the final act to do too much work in too little time.
The twist ending arrives late and feels rushed. It tries to tie everything together neatly, but the setup has been so thin that the payoff lands as a shrug rather than a revelation. The movie wants to be clever about who the real enemy is, but the clues are scattered and the resolution depends on a coincidence that feels more convenient than earned.
The Verdict
“The Commuter” is a film with a strong premise and competent execution, but it never finds the focus to become something memorable. It leans on action to fill the gaps left by a thin script, and while the set pieces are well made, they cannot compensate for a story that loses steam in the middle.
- The train sequences are the film’s best work
- The opening section is its most effective stretch
- The twist ending feels rushed and underdeveloped
- Neeson’s physical presence carries the film through weaker moments
There is nothing broken here, and nothing that stands out as brilliant. It is a solid, professional thriller that never rises above its genre.
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