With a few hours to kill, and having read surprisingly very positive reviews of Tony Scott's latest action thriller, 'Unstoppable', starring regular collaborator Denzel Washington and the new 'Captain Kirk' Chris Pine, I decided to give the movie a go, not really knowing what to expect. The basic premise is quite 'out there' despite being inspired by true events, and revolves around a train that is, as the title states, 'Unstoppable' on full speed heading down the tracks with the end results not good for anyone, likely an explosion due to the large amount of poisonous gas on board.
The movie starts off nice and slow, getting you to know Washington's 'Frank' and Pine's 'Will' as they set about their first day of work together. During this time we see how the train is let loose, and it's more believable than expected, despite being incredibly unfortunate and a little (perhaps intentionally) funny. The leads, initially bickering and arguing at the companies apparent desire to get a younger work-force and push veterans of the job such as Frank out, form a great alliance as the movie goes on. Washington as ever draws every bit of realism and grit out of whatever he's handed, and Pine does a stellar job making you follow Will despite some of his dubious past. It's these two performances that stand out, both really enjoying the ride however Rosario Dawson, Kevin Dunn and Kevin Corrigan as various people trying to help the cause help keep 'Unstoppable' rolling on the right tracks, Dawson in particular making her role from inside the operators office entertaining and realistic.
Part way through 'Unstoppable' I realised I really was just watching a two hour 'Car Chase', something I was worried could get repetitive, but Scott does a great job of fleshing out the various attempts to stop Train 777 and keep 'Unstoppable' from derailing, offering exceptionally good set pieces, one attempt to put a train in front of 777 to slow it down is very spectacular.
All this of course is build up to the inevitable attempt by Frank and Will to stop the unstoppable, as the trains heads on a collision course, and then the pair's decision to try and avoid the disaster. One crisis averted leads to the pair emerging as 'standard-man heroes', as they decide to pursue the train in reverse and attach to the back of the train and slow it down. The final forty minutes are nothing but gripping action and tense set-pieces, both Pine and Washington totally stealing the movie as Frank and Will attempt the impossible. The action is so brilliantly shot, Scott blending the action into news bulletins, helicopter shots, close ups of the leads, as well as the action in the operations room to try and help. It's interweaving is flawless, its pace relentless, and as the train appears to near disaster you can't help but bite your nails.
There are however some mistakes in the movie. Lew Temple as Ned, an engineer who tries to help is a little corny and two dimensional, and it's a little disappointing he is given such a vital role in the film's climax. Also both Frank and Will's family members aren't developed enough, and I didn't feel their anguish at watching their loved ones in such peril. It was something that Scott rightly thought would add tension and drama, but it didn't quite work. It's not a big flaw though, as you're still 100% behind the pair.
The main plus for me was that a movie this relentless usually doesn't work this well, but Washington and Pine demand your full attention, the action draws you in and the flaws are too few to take you out of the movie. It's nothing short of great entertainment It won't be a movie I will always remember as a classic, it's not supposed to be. But it will look back on as something that did exactly what I wanted from it, and it did it well...
It's Unstoppable!
7.5/10
Adam
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