Unstoppable

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.

Mark Bomback's writing was outstanding in using his 98 min runtime to squeeze in the perfect amount of character development, tension, suspense, and action. All casting and performances were excellent and Denzel and Chris Pine's chemistry was spot on. The S/VFX were amazing, as was the score. My big issue was the annoying and seizure-inducing fast zoom-in/outs director Tony Scott chose to use. Thankfully they became less frequent as the film progressed. It' an 8/10 from me.

Simple, Thrilling, and Very Entertaining. Unstoppable never tries to be anything more than it is. It follows a runaway train that occurred in Pennsylvania and the two men that try to stop it. First off, I gotta five Tony Scott credit for making a film about trains, that in itself is pretty interesting. How many people know about and use trains regularly? Then take that and turn into one of the most suspenseful, entertaining films of the year culminates into a really good time. The film's opening credits starts with how the train was lost and runs away, so right off the bat you know that it's not going to be a dull film. Before any of the main characters are brought into the story the antagonist and therefore the action get underway. Your then introduced to Will, played by Chris Pine, and Frank, played by Denzel Washington. Will is the rookie conductor that is placed under the veterans Frank's wing. Then you have Connie, played by Rosario Dawson, as the head of all the trains currently running, basically a conductor that oversees all operations, who is in charge of finding a solution to the runaway train, while also dealing with the corporate suits, mainly Oscar Galvin, played by Kevin Dunn, who are more interested in stock prices and money losses then the overall safety and physical damage the train could cause. So, after some failed attempts to stop the train, Denzel comes up with a plan to stop it, and this is where Will and Frank become involved with the runaway.

Tony Scott does a pretty good job of making the runaway train look menacing, almost like a monster that no matter what you do always keeps coming for you. The majority of special effects and stunt work were done realistically with very little CGI being used, which for me is always a plus. With it being based on a true story he definitely uses a lot of tactics to make it feel less like a film and more like your actually watching the action happen presently. There's a lot of bird eye shots of the trains making it feel like a news helicopters are shooting it, while also cutting to news broadcasts following the runaway train through the majority of the film creating a more realistic view of the whole story. He also filmed on location in Pennsylvania, which was pretty cool living in central PA and having the opportunity to talk with some of the crew.

As for the characters, the first half of the film, is where the majority of the very little character development comes into play. Will and Frank bicker back and forth at each other, when unsurprisingly they find a common bond through broken families with their wives and children. There are also many conversations, which mostly turn into arguments, between Connie and Oscar about how to stop the runaway train and the potential problems it could cause. Yet, due to the pacing and strategic place of key conversations you end up caring about the characters and are pulling for them to get out of this disaster alive. The most important and character revealing dialogue occurs during the more explosion filled scenes with the train.

Overall, it's a pretty fun time, and never has a boring moment. Just when you think the dialogue may be getting a bit to breathy and boring, Scott crashes the runaway into some object causing a major explosion. It's one of those no brain activity films that you can just sit back and enjoy. The characters are there and Scott makes sure not to fill the runtime up with too much dialogue, but with just enough to develop Frank, Will, and Connie into people we want to see succeed. Lastly, it doesn't try to be anything more than it is. It's a film about a runaway train and the people trying to stop it, that's it. Unstoppable is a thrilling ride and a guaranteed enjoyable viewing.

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

This is an excellent movie in almost all respects. The cast does a very good job. The two leads play off of each other very well together and project good chemistry. The supporting cast is good as well and the movie even does a good job with providing some character depth (to the extent you can in this type of movie)- you do wind up rooting for them. The director has taken a good story, and matched it with excellent, I mean excellent, cinematography and takes us an every faster roller coaster ride. The movie is well paced, it keeps you engaged from the start & doesn't let you go until its over, and was just a lot of fun to watch. I highly recommend it.