Liam Neeson once again plays a man with a very particular set of skills in THE COMMUTER, the latest action-thriller from the team of Neeson and director Jaume Collet-Serra. THE COMMUTER is the fourth collaboration for the pair, after UNKNOWN, NON-STOP and RUN ALL NIGHT, and it continues the tradition of putting the actor in a tense situation where time is running out and only his sharp intelligence – and, frequently, his fists – can get him out of a life-or-death jam. This one sees Neeson aboard a train where he’s blackmailed into finding a mysterious passenger by an even more mysterious woman (Vera Farmiga).
Having spoken to Neeson before, I knew I could expect a generous and informative chat with the man, and that’s just what I got when I sat down with him to talk THE COMMUTER. We spoke about his collaborations with Collet-Serra, how THE COMMUTER differs from their other films, working on such a confined set and whether or not he’s truly done with action movies.
Jaume Collet-Serra has obviously made quite a nice career for himself with these Neeson films (although last year he broke away from the formula with the surprise hit THE SHALLOWS). Who can blame him – in Hollywood, they don’t fix what ain’t broken. Collet-Serra and I spoke about the appeal of the “ticking clock” thriller, his methods of preparation, what the future holds for he and Neeson and more.
Finally, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Patrick Wilson, who in the film plays Neeson’s ex-partner and, potentially, his only hope of survival. Wilson is another guy I’ve met in the past and, not unlike Neeson, he’s always been a completely likable person to be around. Here we talk about what attracted him to the role of Neeson’s ex-partner, how much time the two actors spent talking about their characters’ histories, what it was like to be in a non-CONJURING movie with Vera Farmiga, and what the future of that franchise is.