Random red herrings and Dan Brown-level literary riddles are the order of the day as the literal end of the line approaches Neeson, his brow dutifully furrowed, musters what gravelly authority he can as he profiles a motley crew of other commuters - a classily cast bunch ranging from Jonathan Banks to “Lady Macbeth” breakout Florence Pugh - for clues. It’s a basic enough ultimatum, but the further McCauley looks into the criminal conspiracy at hand, the less sense it makes to him and viewers alike. On his Metro-North train home, McCauley is approached by the enigmatic Joanna (Vera Farmiga, silkily sinister as ever) with an impromptu mission: Find an unidentified fellow passenger transporting critical cargo, or risk the lives of not just the remaining travelers, but his own family at home. That background - and his ongoing friendship with troubled cop Murphy (Patrick Wilson) - go some way toward explaining the murky cloak-and-dagger that ensues, though the head-scratchers pile up faster than the revelations. Not that you’d cast Neeson, of course, as an insurance guy without some manner of meaner past that has taught him some tougher skills: Turns out that McCauley used to work as an ace police profiler until a decade ago, before trading in his badge for a more sedate suburban life with his wife (Elizabeth McGovern, vastly overqualified) and kids. VFX supervisor for the production was Steve Begg, and Cinesite’s supervisor was Stephane Paris work was shared across both the London and Montreal studios.Still, it wouldn’t hurt to have a clearer moment-to-moment sense of what’s simply going on in “The Commuter.” The film commences the bafflement from the off, with a needlessly tricksy opening-credits sequence, rife with repeated fades to black, that splits and splices timelines - all for the sake of establishing the thoroughly mundane morning routine of Michael MacCauley (Neeson), a gray-suited insurance salesman and family man who commutes daily between his Manhattan office and his well-cushioned Upstate home.
The shot was achieved with a combination of multiple motion control passes, creation of the iconic station environment using photogrammetry and ultimately by creating the crowd of fellow commuters in CG for the latter part of the shot (a seamless transition was required between the live action passes and the CG people).
His outfit changes and the mood lighting changes to show the passing of the seasons around him. In a poignant shot at Grand Central Station multiple iterations of Michael’s journey are shown simultaneously, with the crowds gradually accelerating around him while his pace remains measured. The visual effects team also created shots near the film’s opening which demonstrate the repetition of Michael’s daily commute. Other shots required a realistic Neeson digi-double to perform death-defying stunts. FX were key, with flying gravel, breaking and deforming tracks, exploding sleepers, fog, dust, smoke and fire in addition to the damaged train carriages.
The crash required the construction of a 2km long environment asset complete with station, forest, tracks and industrial detritus. One that carries life and death stakes for himself and his fellow passengers.Ĭinesite delivered over 850 shots for this fast-paced action thriller, from train carriage composites right through to entirely CG shots for the spectacular climactic train crash sequence. Michael, an insurance salesman on his routine daily commute home, is contacted by a mysterious stranger who forces him to uncover the identity of a hidden passenger on his train before the last stop. As he works against the clock to solve the puzzle, he realizes a deadly plan is unfolding and is unwittingly caught up in a criminal conspiracy. The Commuter is the ultimate white-knuckle ride of a film.
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