It’s hard to work out what exactly director, Tony Scott (The Taking Of Pelham 123, TV’S Numb3rs) has done over the years that has resulted in him seemingly putting most opinionated cinema goers and some critics so offside that they will openly slam a film like Unstoppable; a film that in the long run does very little wrong. Maybe, it’s just me but I never went to see Unstoppable expecting a masterpiece, I just wanted a quality action-thriller that would keep me on the edge of my seat… and I certainly got that.
Loosely based on actual events Unstoppable tells the story of veteran train driver, Frank (Denzel Washington – The Book Of Eli, The Taking Of Pelham 123) and rookie rail-conductor, Will (Chris Pine – Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey, Small Town Saturday Night) who are grouped together on a fateful day when bumbling co-worker, Dewey (Ethan Suplee – The Dry Land, TV’S No Ordinary Family) sends an out-of-control freight train (carrying hazardous material) hurtling towards them. And while their immediate boss, Connie (Rosario Dawson – Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief, Girl Walks Into A Bar) is looking to save lives, one of the company heads, Galvin (Kevin Dunn – Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen, Vicky Cristina Barcelona) is willing to do whatever it takes to save money.
As I mentioned earlier Unstoppable doesn’t do a hell of a lot wrong. Screenwriter, Mark Bomback (Race To Witch Mountain, Deception) has put together a fairly decent action script, and manages to do what so many action-screenwriters fail to do and that is give enough characterization to the characters of Frank and Will that we actually do care whether they live or die. There is certainly nothing one-dimensional about these characters, they even have a back-story… unfortunately the same cannot be said about Frank’s daughters in the film who are incredibly annoying, seem out of place and are played by some actresses with some horribly-awful acting abilities. Bomback also manages to throw in some old-school suspense and tension
Visually, Scott does pull off one hell of an action film. Despite some dodgy blurry shots (which I’m sure he thinks are artistic) for the most part the film does look good. As usual Scott’s in-your-face style of filming makes you feel like you are really part of the action and once again he creates some brilliant action sequences – the scene where a train crashes, rolls and explodes is sensational and has to be seen to be believed.
With Bomback’s script and Scott’s directing style Unstoppable ends up being one action film that really does have a suspense element. Sure there are no bad guys running around with guns but serious film lovers will feel the tension this film creates and at times find themselves on the edge of their seat. Some will feel that Washington is under-used but that is a minor gripe for an action film that largely works.
