Unstoppable

I am so sick of movies about runaway trains in rural Pennsylvania. What an overdone plotline. I am clearly kidding. Unstoppable, which is based on true events is the latest of many films featuring director Tony Scott and Denzel Washington. This one adds the talents of Chris Pine and Rosario Dawson in the story of an unmanned train that is accidently set to power. Carrying an abundance of hazardous chemicals, it must be stopped before it reaches a sharp turn in a highly populated area and will derail. Pine and Washington, who are driving another train, devise a plan to stop the runaway even in the face of serious personal risk.

For a story that features great periods of sitting around and waiting for disaster, it is highly dramatic. Every turn could contain a head-on collision, gruesome death or heated dialogue. While it’s mostly the last of the three don’t be fooled, the viewer’s stomach is in knots constantly. Washington and Pine give strong performances toggling the line between average joe and hero. This leaves the majority of the frantic running around to Dawson, who plays the yardmaster leading the charge to stop the train and playing mediator between the different parties involved. In terms of overall film quality, Unstoppable is a well-made feature from the acting to editing.

Even in the wake of the unrelenting drama, there are many moments where the viewer asks if there are easier solutions than those being presented on the screen. The lack of productive ideas from most of the characters exposes such an ignorance of their profession that it takes away some level of believability in the overall scheme. But when compared to the general realism of the film, the lack of expert train talk is a miniscule problem. There is excitement from end to end. (8.0 out of 10)