Same actor, same director…doing another train movie? At first, Unstoppable appeared to be a repeat for Denzel Washington and director Tony Scott after doing Taking of Pelham 123 last year. But after seeing the movie, it is its own train packed full of intense moments and thrills. The best part is you do not have to wait long for things to pick up and it is full-steam ahead from there.
This is not a complicated story. There is a runaway train that is a half-mile long with no one driving and full of explosives that could wipe out a city. It is up to two train operators, one who is just starting (Chris Pine) and one who has been there for almost 30 years (Denzel Washington), to stop it before it’s too late. The complete appeal of the movie is the trains and their path of destruction. All of it starts due to a mistake by an employee. They try to stop it or at least slow it down by several ways. But, they all fail. It is all left up to two men who didn’t like each other at the beginning of the day and may die by the end of it.
Tony Scott has a unique way of directing his movies. And in Unstoppable, he puts those trains and their power right in your face. He puts the audience right in the middle of this race against time and doesn’t let up. You may never get a chance to catch your breath once the train starts moving.
Washington and Pine are great together. Their characters clash because of the age difference. It is an “out with the old and in with the new” dynamic where they work, and we know where these two men fit into all of that. But, these guys have talent and charisma. No one minds watching them for 90 minutes. We do find out a little about each of them. But, the main focus is always on the train and what they will have to do to try and stop it.
Rosario Dawson has a pretty good role to play with in this movie. Her character’s job is the same one Washington had in Taking of Pelham 123. She is tracking the train and its speed, and just how long these two guys have until the worst happens—a city is destroyed. She is the help for Washington and Pine, but plays her character with some dignity and attitude.
Unstoppable is an action thriller in the purest form. It is fast and fun and once it grabs you, it never lets go. Tony Scott knew what he had to do to make this movie what it is: noisy, relentless, and entertaining.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association and the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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