Jaume Collet-Serra’s The Commuter is the best comedy of 2018. I’m still laughing about the running joke of the Metro North running up the 4/5/6 line in Manhattan. If you find yourself on the Metro North Hudson Line, Make a quick stop in Beacon for a burger at Meyer’s Old Dutch Food & Such; honestly one of the best I’ve ever had.
Speaking of New York City verisimilitude, most Columbia students dress like J. Crew or Banana Republic catalogs. Gwen (Florence Pugh) clearly goes to NYU, and Mike (Liam Neeson) should have been instantly suspicious.
Between this and Source Code, has Vera Farmiga been typecast as Manipulative Conspiracy Lady on a Train?
I play a little guitar, and it might take me a moment to realize I’m looking at a left-handed guitar (it would be like looking in a mirror). Wouldn’t it have made more narrative sense for Mike to realize its purported owner is left-handed, but has a “normal” guitar? Nah, because plenty of lefties play right-handed, not the least being Jimi Hendrix. Never mind, it’s not worth worrying about this plot point, because it’s all worth it for setting up a pretty great fight scene.
The Commuter is kinda dumb, but directed, shot, and edited with real visual flair. Exactly what I needed on a Friday night. The fragmented, time-hopping opening sequence deserves extra credit for overachieving within the genre.
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