UNSTOPPABLE 3.5****

Loosely based on a true story from 2001, “Unstoppable” is a tension packed, heart-racing roller-coaster of a movie about an unmanned, runaway train carrying a payload of highly flammable fuel and toxic waste that is heading straight for the densely populated of Stanton, Pennsylvania at 70mph. Several human errors by an incompetent train driver and his colleagues allows the out of control train to leave the train yard unmanned without brakes or an automatic cut off system … and from then on, the race is on to try and stop this out of control half-mile long train from devastating a city.

The true star is the train, a runaway monster ("a missile the size of the Chrysler Building" as one protagonist puts it) accelerates quickly to 70 m.p.h. along southern Pennsylvania, first through rural areas then into densely populated towns and cities, towards Stanton, PA and a fateful curve in on an elevated section of the rail with huge oil tanks underneath . Not enough? The train is carrying thousands of gallons of fuel and eight cars filled with highly toxic and explosive chemicals.

The pace of the film starts relatively slow but then quickly ratchets up until it is utterly, utterly relentless - there's no time to breathe here, just one near disaster after another… one heroic effort after another … all done in reality ( there is almost no computer generated special effects)…with frantic conversations intermixed to quickly set up the next danger faced by our blue-collar heroes. These are real huge trains and real flesh and blood people with lots of collisions, twisted metal and explosions. The key thing for the movie to succeed is that there be heroes that the audience can root for, and in that regard, I cannot think of anyone better than Denzel Washington. Teaming with him, co-star Chris Pine (Capt. Kirk in the recent remake of “Star Trek”) comes through with an excellent performance. The pair play the familiar know-it-all young guy vs. the wise, experienced veteran who start out with animosity and finish as…. well you have to see the movie but you’re allowed to guess.. They each have their own "human story" – a not-really-so-old engineer forced into early retirement with half-pension and a greenhorn conductor eager to prove himself (while troubled and distracted by marital problems). These background stories are necessary to lift the characters out of a single-dimension existence, but the focus is aptly placed on their exciting and heroic efforts to stop the runaway train.

Ably directed by Tony Scott (who has something of a history with trains and Denzel Washington – “Taking of Pelham 123”, “Man on Fire”), “Unstoppable” features some really good camera work, low ground shots, blur in movement, close-up action … and a very imaginative use of sound and music …all the things that really emphasize the feeling of locomotive power, speed and imminent destruction. Scott continues to be an in-demand action film director, and this film contributes to that winning streak. He applied that age old rule for success: “If it ain't broke, don't fix it”.

Clark


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