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The Commuter - 2018
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Our next film is 2018's action/thriller "The Commuter", in which we find a recently unemployed man on a commuter train. A strange woman approaches him and recruits him for a task. Little does he know what is in store on that train ride.
The film's cast includes Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Jonathan Banks, Sam Neill, Elizabeth McGovern, Killian Scott, Shazad Latif, Florence Pugh, and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.
Michael MacCauley is a former police officer who now works as an insurance salesman after being let go from the police force. Unfortunately for him, he's now being let go from his current job.
After being fired, Michael heads to a bar to drown his sorrows, where he is met by his former police partner Alex Murphy. The two commiserate together before Michael heads home to tell his wife about his day.
Just as he has every day for the last ten years, Michael takes the commuter train home. However, this time there is something different. A very chatty woman named Joanna sits across from him and engages him in conversation. She asks him a hypothetical question.
She tells him that there is someone on board with the alias of "Prynne" that is carrying a bag containing something that has been stolen. All he has to do is point out the person so that they can be taken care of. He will never know the consequences of his actions. In return for his cooperation, $25,000 is hidden on board the train with the promise of $75,000 more to follow. Would he do it?
Before he can ask questions, Joanna gets up and leaves. Perplexed, Michael watches as she gets off the train.
Michael goes to the bathroom, the place where Joanna said the money would be, and finds out that the situation is far from hypothetical. The money is very real, as is his current predicament.
When he tries to get off the train, someone approaches him and tells him that "they" are watching him and hand him a package containing a warning. When he opens it, Michael finds his wife's wedding ring.
Michael tries to tell one of his train friends about what has happened. Joanna calls him and forces him to watch as his friend is killed before his very eyes. This is obviously much bigger than anything Michael had thought.
Now he must start whittling down the train's passengers until he finds "Prynne". The list of suspects includes a very arrogant investment broker.
Also under scrutiny is a young woman who is very protective of her bag and its contents.
Oliver is a man who seems to show up at exactly the right moment at different times throughout the train ride. Michael is very suspicious of him.
And a very quiet and guarded nurse comes under Michael's suspicion when she refuses to answer his questions.
Even the regular commuters are questioned by Michael. Daunted by the task ahead of him, Michael comments, "It just occurred to me that most of us, we ride
this train every day. We nod.
We say hello. But how much do we
really know about each other?"
Michael eventually discovers "Prynne's" identity, and it is the last person he suspects. Joanna calls and instructs him to kill Prynne. Michael refuses. In retaliation, Joanna detonates an explosive device and derails the train. Information is also released to various news outlets that portray Michael as a terrorist acting out because he lost his job.
His quick thinking saves everyone on board the train, but Michael isn't done being surprised. It's a blow to him to realize just who is involved in this plot and how deep it goes.
After everything is resolved, Michael's family come to pick him up and take him home.
Before he goes, Michael is stopped by his old police captain, who tells him how impressed he was with his actions, and he offers him his old job back on the police force. He also says that Joanna has vanished.
After doing lots of research and following up on leads, Michael tracks her down. Joanna is completely surprised when Michael flashes his badge and brings her to justice.
Cast rundown:
Liam Neeson.......................................Michael MacCauley
Vera Farmiga.......................................Joanna
Patrick Wilson......................................Alex Murphy
Jonathan Banks...................................Walt
Sam Neill............................................Captain David Hawthorne
Elizabeth McGovern..............................Karen MacCauley
Killian Scott.........................................FBI Agent Dylan
Shazad Latif.........................................Vince
Florence Pugh......................................Gwen
Kobna Holdbrook-Smith........................Oliver
And that's it for The Commuter. Although the film takes place on a train, Liam Neeson said on a talk show that no scenes were actually filmed on board a train. Everything was done on a soundstage with one train mock-up, which was redressed to serve as each train car. Although she receives top-billing with Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga only has six minutes of screen time in this film.
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