Unstoppable

4 Stars

Unstoppable (12A)

Director: Tony Scott

Cast: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson

Run time: 98 mins

By Simon Howard 

 ‘This is Will Coalson your conductor speaking, we are gonna run this bitch down’. Having taken audiences on an underground thrill ride in last year’s remake of The Taking of Pelham 123, Tony Scott and Denzel Washington team up once again in this action-packed thriller, but instead of there being a psycho villain in the shape of John Travolta, the only bad guy here is the worker who accidentally pushes the wrong button which sends a half-mile long cargo train hurtling through Pennsylvania unmanned. Denzel Washington plays veteran engineer Frank Barnes, who must team up with rookie conductor Will Coalson (Chris Pine) in a race against the clock to catch up with and prevent the train derailing and decimating an entire town.

The whole film is an edge of the seat, white-knuckle ride, which builds into something genuinely thrilling and intense. Yes it may not feature prominently in many awards ceremonies, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously, with the action rightly taking priority over the acting and character development. The relationship between the two leads develops well in the limited time it is afforded, and is believable throughout. Both have predictably endured troubled times, and through the course of events inevitably begin to see light at the end of their tunnels. The premise of the film is simple and inoffensive- and it is all the more enjoyable as a result.

Although we are told in the opening credits that the film is inspired in part by real events, it would appear that Tony Scott has absurdly elevated the stakes, placing a train full of schoolchildren in the path of the runaway train, before going on to threaten the entire population of the fictional town ‘Stanton’. Rosario Dawson evokes plenty of emotion in her ‘control room’ role, and as she sees the drama unfolding before her eyes (‘it’s a missile the size of the Chrysler building!’) she shines in her interactions with both the greedy executives and the heroic train workers. Although there will inevitably be comparisons made with 1994 classic Speed, this film is completely different in almost every aspect.

The absence of vast amounts of CGI in the film is a success. Denzel Washington willingly throws himself into his own stunts, running at ease on top of a moving train. Following on from his successful role in Star Trek, Chris Pine has now firmly established himself as one of Hollywood’s newest leading men, and isn’t outshone by the legendary Denzel Washington. However the train is the real star of the show, and Scott captures its menace from every possible angle. One particularly neat aspect is the presence of constant live news updates keeping the audience and the relatives of the main characters informed as the plot unfolds.

Verdict: Bold, brash and relentless, this film is a real adrenalin rush from start to finish, as spectacular crashes and explosions provide plenty to whet the appetites of action seeking moviegoers. A perfect popcorn flick which stands out within the action genre, this is one of Tony Scott’s best films to date.