Imparable

In Pennsylvania, one engineer is maneuvering a train in the yard and accidentally leaves the train operating without the pneumatic brakes engaged. The operation department initially believes it is a coaster but soon the operators realize that the unmanned train is running on full power. Further, it is carrying dangerous chemicals and diesel in the cargo wagons. There are many unsuccessful attempts to stop the runaway train and the veteran engineer Frank Barnes (Denzel Washington) and the young conductor Will Colson (Chris Pine) decide to take the chance to reduce the speed of the train with the most unlikely operation.

The farewell of the brilliant director Tony Scott is a thriller with non- stop action inspired in a true event in Ohio. The screenplay is engaging and the dramatization is adequate to the story. The great cast with Denzel Washington, Chris Pine and Rosario Dawson completes this excellent entertainment. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Incontrolável" ("Uncontrollable")

So, here we are. Tony Scott and Denzel Washington's latest collaboration is pretty much the definition of high concept - a runaway freight train loaded with thousands of gallons of diesel fuel, eight carriages of a highly toxic chemical and a worryingly curvy track ahead of it, versus two train operatives armed with little in the way of stopping impending disaster bar a one-car locomotive and their vivid imaginations.

It's not without its faults, but Unstoppable is a brisk, solidly entertaining thriller from start to finish. Scott has little time for characterisation or back story, preferring instead to kick things off via a pair of laughably incompetent rail yard employees roughly five minutes in, and then letting his leads fill in the blanks as we go along for the ride.

Washington and Star Trek's Chris Pine play it straight for the most part - their characters are the reluctant Johnny Everymen found in most films that rely on extended peril for thrills, and they've both nailed the mixture of brooding intensity and occasional comic relief that typifies movies of the genre.

Enough about the acting though - when you're watching a film of this nature, you want the action sequences to impress rather than worry too much about the story, and on this front Unstoppable delivers. Scott's track record in the field puts him in the perfect place to deliver the goods, and there's very little of the distracting, overdone camera-work that has plagued his recent output.

There's perhaps a little too much ShakyCam for my tastes but for the most part everything is shot with enough scope to be extremely impressive. The near total lack of CGI means the film looks suitably gritty and the pace is utterly, utterly relentless - there's no time to breathe here, just set-piece after set-piece with only brief conversational respites to quickly set up the next danger faced by our blue-collar heroes.

This type of film never goes down too well with critics and you can predict the reviews already - yes Unstoppable IS cheesy, it IS forced, it IS derivative and has all the depth of a puddle, but if you want to switch your brain off for 100 minutes and sit back for a magnificently enjoyable slice of escapism, you couldn't do much better. Highly recommended.

Though this film has a pretty simple and straightforward story, it is still exciting to watch. It does well in establishing the normality of the lives of these railway workers and the rhythm that they work in. Scott does well in setting the tone of the film early on, and with the music accompaniment, the tension slowly rises.

Pine and Washington are good in their roles, and work well together. Perhaps it is because their characters do not get along well, which may be easier to portray. Anyway, their delivery and chemistry with each other fit the film. Dawson does well in roles with a sense of urgency to them. I vaguely remember her being an FBI agent somewhere else, and with this character, she is able to portray how intense a situation they're in.

I especially liked the cinematography and editing in this movie. With a high speed train moving through various landscapes, the numerous wide angle and aerial shots give a good view of the surroundings. The quick jump cuts, and juxtapositions between the various characters on screen also helps to keep the audience well informed.

One thing that I felt was a bit forced, was the family angle. I guess being characters, the filmmakers felt that they needed to incorporate family values, so put that in there. I didn't care much for the drama of Pine's life though. I was intrigued a little at what may have happened, but Pine's character didn't really fit the drama.

Overall, quite an exciting but simple film.

This film is about the attempts to stop an unmanned train full of dangerous chemicals travelling at high speed, endangering the lives of thousands of people living along the tracks.

"Unstoppable" gets right to the point, action already starts ten minutes into the film. After that, the thrills get better and better. As a result, the film keeps you glued to the screen with increasing intensity.

Early on in the film, I wondered if there was enough to fill the screen time, but there was actually enough to make it action packed, without slow, pacing scenes to interrupt the action. "Unstoppable" is a good action film, relatively free from blood and violence which is rather rare for an action film these days.

Released in 2010, "Unstoppable" is about a runaway train in Pennsylvania carrying toxic chemicals and the engineer and conductor who try to stop it (Denzel Washington & Chris Pine). Rosario Dawson plays the yardmaster that assists from headquarters while Jessy Schram plays the separated wife of the newbie conductor.

The movie's based on the real-life CSX 8888 Incident, otherwise known as the Crazy Eights Incident, which involved a runaway freight train in northwestern Ohio in 2001. Locomotive #8888 was pulling 47 cars, including some with hazardous chemicals, and ran unmanned for two hours and 66 miles at speeds of up to 51 mph. (***Don't read the rest of this paragraph if you don't want to know how the real-life incident ended before seeing the movie***). Attempts to derail the train using a portable derailer failed, as did an attempt by police to shoot at an emergency fuel cutoff switch, which didn't work because the button has to be pressed for several seconds before the engine shuts down due to lack of fuel. A northbound freight train took succor in a siding area where the crew released its locomotive and waited for the runaway to pass. Like in the movie, they had a crew of two: Jess Knowlton, an engineer with 31 years of service; and Terry L. Forson, a relative neophyte conductor. They proceeded to chase the runaway train and successfully locked on to the rear car of the runaway, then slowing it by applying the dynamic brakes or their locomotive. Once the runaway had slowed to 11 miles per hour, trainmaster Jon Hosfeld ran alongside the train, jumped on, and shut down the engine.

While the movie starts somewhat bland it quickly picks up momentum for a realistic non-stop thrill ride. The realism is refreshing in this day and age of cartoony action blockbusters and their multiple "yeah, right" action scenes (not that there's anything wrong with those movies, as long as you're in the right mode). Washington and Pine make for good protagonists and you start to care about them as the story progresses. Moreover, the movie doesn't overstay its welcome at a mere 98 minutes.

The film was shot in numerous locations extending from central Pennsylvania to eastern Ohio, which serve up a nice rolling hills backdrop with the occasional river. Minor note: You'll observe a woodchuck scamper across the tracks in one scene where he/she thankfully DOESN'T become ground chuck.

BOTTOM LINE: "Unstoppable" is worthwhile as a believable disaster thriller. While it lacks the potent subtext and overall greatness of 1985's "Runaway Train," it makes up for it with its realistic and kinetic tone, not to mention the fact that it's based on a true incident.

GRADE: B