The Commuter
2018 · Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Original language: English
- action
- thriller
- mystery
The story
A businessman, on his daily commute home, gets unwittingly caught up in a criminal conspiracy that threatens not only his life but the lives of those around him.
What it’s like
Cramped commuter-train interiors under cool fluorescent light, with the carriage lit in sickly whites and deep blue shadows that make every face look tired and suspicious. Jaume Collet-Serra keeps the camera close and restless, circling Liam Neeson in tight handheld takes and slipping in long, unbroken moves down narrow aisles, while the palette stays muted: greys, navy, rain-streaked glass, the occasional flare of a station platform at dusk. The score is a pulsing, mechanical thrum of strings and synth that rises with each new threat, and the rattle of the rails fills the quieter stretches. The vibe is tense, paranoid, and claustrophobic, a night-commute unease that builds steadily rather than in bursts. It suits a late-night watch alone or a long journey where you want to be gripped. Violence is present and fairly frequent, with brawls and gunfire that land with physical weight but little gore, and there is an undercurrent of menace and peril throughout. The story follows a weary everyman whose ordinary routine becomes a fight for survival, and his determination to protect the people beside him. Made for viewers who enjoy hard-edged thrillers with a grounded, puzzle-box pace.
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