Whether it’s the train or a bus we’ve all commuted through the CTA before, but would you give up one persons life for $75,000?

The Commuter is a action, thriller, crime and mystery type of film. We start off by being introduced to Michael Woolrich whom is played by Liam Neeson, and his family which are mostly used to develop Liam Neeson’s character and why he chooses to follow through the game that Vera Farmiga’s character has put him through.

We see him go through several daily commutes and are given some insight to some of the issues he is having both at home and at his work. He was an Insurance salesman until he was fired from his job due to new management and several other faculty changes. His oldest son was heading off to college and with his current unemployment status he was vulnerable to any sort of bribery that could cross his path. Which is where Vera Farmiga’s character comes in, She sets up a scenario for him telling Michael that there’s a passenger on the train that doesn’t normally take this ride. She explains to him that theirs $25,000 hidden in a the bathroom and the rest of the $30,000 will be awarded to him after he takes out the suspect.

At first he is very skeptical of the event and offer, but as curiosity strikes him he goes into the bathroom and discovers an envelope with, you guessed it, $25,000.

The film has a well made and comprehensive story that isn’t  hard to understand. The action and mystery continues on throughout the film, which is one aspect that I liked. You’re always left being suspicions of who it is and the movie leads you on most of the time but surprises you as the mystery unfolds.

The character development is also executed perfectly and all of the characters that are introduced have a purpose. Whether it’s setting back the Liam’s character, or helping him out they all serve a specific role and or clue to whom the suspect is. The film always has you at the edge of your seat and can shook you greatly at times.

Visual effects, as in CGI, are only really used in 3 scenes and are very noticeable in two of them. These effects took away from the film and made it less immersive and realistic. This would be my only drawback of the film and is why I give it a solid 4 out of 5 stars. I would recommend seeing it if you are interested in watching a mystery and action movie.