Unstoppable (2010)

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  May 14, 2012

  fb1038944442

  Unstoppable is for fans of well executed, superbly crafted action film sequences, BUT not for those inclined to complex, ambiguous characters or enigmatic or surprising plot twists. Tony Scott, one of the masters of the action form, is at his cinematic best here with swooping cam... read moreeras, heart stopping edits, in a rural gritty and real Pennsylvania railway locations (though I think Ohio doubled for it at times).
  
  The charismatic cast is led by the great Denzel Washington, one of the most reliable leading men in all of movie-dom, in his new flavor of disillusioned, yet competent, capable 'old man' roles that he is beginning to play in his late fifties, and hunky Chris Pine, brimming with screen presence. They are joined by the lovely Rosario Dawson as a railway controller, (surprisingly credible) and veteran character actor Kevin Dunn as a sleazy railway executive.
  
  The simple tale is based on an actual runaway train incident from about ten years ago. Due to human error, a train loaded with explosive toxic chemicals is hurtling towards a large population center. Two railway employees (Denzel, the grizzled veteran who's just been made redundant and Chris, first day on the job, the young new buck who's pushing old guys out in an evil downsizing), at risk of life and limb and in defiance of authorities, try to stop the hurtling train. That's all you have to know. There a subtext of the new depression, the fading railroad and a changing (for the worse) America, but it's not that heavy. Just sit back and enjoy the train action and the heroics.
  
  The film is tasteful throughout and is surprisingly wholesome, with very little profanity, no sex (well, Denzel's daughters are Hooters Girls), and has snappy and not too cliched dialogue. It avoids the trap of using trendy pop culture references and tropes, giving the film a timeless quality. It's a great choice to enjoy with the whole family, though I would imagine the bigger fans of the film would be boys who have just grown out of their Bob the Builder DVDs. If you like railroads and trains, you'll be in heaven.

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  December 26, 2011

  kiriyamakazou

  Unstoppable was a movie with no point other than to entertain its audience. It managed to have a bit more emotion invested in its two main characters. Washington as a struggling father who forgets birthdays and Pine whose own family problems are mysterious at first. The film perf... read moreectly captures the generational gap between these two. Pine is Washington's superior despite lack of experience. His education has elevated him to his new position. However, Washington isn't simply some bitter veteran of the trade. He has more fun teasing Pine and realises that Pine's own need to prove himself will cause him to mess up. As these two characters are established, a runaway train is hurtling towards a small town, and a curve that will surely derail it. Oh, and it's carrying dangerous material. Yikes! What I liked best about this film is that all the action builds up without the inclusion of the two protagonists. They are merely in a character piece, until their own train is in danger of being hit. This means when their attempts to stop the train take place, we are already familiar and connected to them both. The action is clearly more practical than we are used to these days and it certainly adds to the danger of it all. Scott also uses some self control and perfects the techniques he has used excessively over his last few efforts. The film has tension, emotion, and little bits of humour scattered here and there. The only point where it fell into cliche for me, was the big bad corporation angle, that are willing to risk everybody's lives to reduce the negative press. A bit too "Boo Hiss" in an otherwise well rounded action film.

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  December 3, 2011

  spielberg00

  Pervasively dangerous thriller craftily alternates between tense and poignant in order to chronicle the events of the CSX #8888 runaway train incident in 2001.
  
  Even though I am a hopeless victim of the entire thriller genre, I feel confident in saying that UNSTOPPABLE is one of ... read morethe most well-done thrillers I've seen in quite a while. The three things that make a thriller most gripping and entertaining, in my opinion, are its musical score, the performances delivered, and the camerawork. Although the highly appropriate "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne was never heard, the score is a mixed bag. One theme that is played is a dramatic piece performed on the piano, and the rest heard is a heart-racing collection of electronic beats. In my opinion, the musical score therefore has the best of both worlds.
  
  The acting in this film was nothing short of phenomenal. Chris Pine and Denzel Washington are spectacular performers as it is, but when one finds them delivering two lead roles together in one film, just double that. On top of that, Pine and Washington enhance the believability of the first title displayed in the entire film: "Based on True Events".
  
  The camerawork was probably the best about this film. It is delivered very uniquely, with almost every shot quickly zoomed into a "close-up". If you're not sure what I mean, then there you have a good reason to watch this film.
  
  I highly applaud this film for its clear ease to thrill an audience. The number of times I found that my heart was speeding up would be nearly impossible to count. UNSTOPPABLE isn't a film that should be watched over and over, but it deserves at least one re-watch. Anyone who hasn't seen it, you are truly missing out.
  
  Full Review: http://wp.me/p1Urcx-wn

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  November 5, 2011

  mrbungle7821

  Tony Scott's filmmaking style often feels like a runaway train, all narrative momentum with ample attention placed to the placement of booms and pows, not so much character or logic. It's something of a small wonder that it took until now for the director to helm a movie about a ... read moreliteral runaway train. The character work between railroad vet Denzel Washington and young upstart Chris Pine leaves much to be desired for; the generational conflicts are stillborn. But I suppose the true draw is that runaway train, and there Scott produces some pretty tense close calls and high-grade spectacle when it does veer into destruction. Watching a train smash into things is a fun that rarely gets old, but you need a villain. You can't vilify a train. And so we have a shady corporate stooge (Kevin Dunn) who wants to put profits ahead of the public safety. It's a pretty standard, do-nothing part, as is Rosario Dawson as a pair of legs and a pretty mouth for exposition. I'm no Tony Scott fan, often labeling him as a madman at the whims of empty and irritating stylistic flourishes. So I hope my words carry weight when I say that Unstoppable is Scott's easiest film to digest, and least assaulting to the senses, since 1998's Enemy of the State.
  
  Nate's Grade: B

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  October 4, 2011

  kenstachnik

  Does exactly what it sets out to do. No more no less. If you're looking for a suspense film about a run away train, this will get the job done. It's not amazing, but what it does it does well.

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  September 28, 2011

  Crashinkov

  that was alot better than what I was expecting !! It was intense very entertaining, pulse-poundin thriller... and the performances were great !!

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  September 4, 2011

  paulsandberg

  Tony Scott has been trying to "do" this film for years - and through trial and error (the uneven remake of Pelham 123) he has arrived at this relentless bit of train disaster action.
  
  The pacing, until the final 3rd is excellent - starting off with the typical goings on at a tr... read moreain yard (I must admit that I too am curiously compelled by these huge iron leviathans) - moving slowly setting up the drama to come, just as the runaway train starts slowly and then picks up speed. Scott manages to juxtapose real human feelings with the stark fatalism of a huge object hurtling towards disaster, thanks in part to a nice script and very solid performances from Denzel and Pine as the leads. Rosario Dawson also shines as the station manager butting heads with the gender biased good old boy head of railroad operations who seems more concerned with his bottom line than the potential disaster and loss of human lives (hmm, perhaps he was at that seminar in The Yes Men Save The World, where the algorhythm curve for "acceptable human loss" was espoused).
  
  Using a quasi docu-drama style, where much of the action is shown via mock TV news reporting, the film still manages the balancing act between building tension and all out action - giving you just enough of a breather to fill in the back stories so that you really do care about the characters of the two male leads.
  
  My only negatives are that the film became just a bit too long once the train entered Scranton - too many shots of the train hurtling towards disaster (though the tipping onto one rail was fabulous) ... I got a feeling of, ok, we get it, now lets resolve this sucker. The film also dwelled a bit too long on the impromptu hero's reception - and really blew it by having Denzel's two daughters as part of the scene. But otherwise, a really tight action thriller that had me engrossed throughout - and I loved the tag ending that showed the resolution of the characters - especially funny was showing that the slacker flunky who caused the entire disaster by his carelessness was now working in the fast food industry.

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  August 1, 2011

  skeletonking101

  its not the best movie in the disaster genre, it still is great. Denzel Washington is great as the father of two teenage girls, and Chris Pine as the man whos going through tough times in his marriage, and the two of them make a great pair in this film. The plot is pretty interes... read moreting, and very realistic, which I found surprising that it was based off a real life case of a manless train going haywire and two people having to stop it. The film does have some moments that are a bit distractingly over the top, such as the run amuck train roaring three times, but aside from that it is enjoyable to sit through

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  July 24, 2011

  Deano78

  It's an ok action film that takes a little while to get going. Based on true events, it's interesting viewing with a good cast, but there's only so much action, suspense you can have about a run away train.

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• 
  
  June 29, 2011

  LWOODS04

  Cast: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Ethan Suplee, Kevin Dunn, Kevin Corrigan, Kevin Chapman, Lew Temple, T.J. Miller
  
  Director: Tony Scott
  
  Summary: It's a nail-biting race against time as an unmanned train carrying a load of lethal chemicals speeds out of c... read moreontrol, and a conductor and engineer do everything in their power to keep it from derailing and killing tens of thousands of people. Denzel Washington leads the cast in Tony Scott's tough-minded action thriller, in which a terrible circumstance forces a couple of ordinary men to become extraordinary heroes.
  
  My Thoughts: "As far as a movie about a run away train goes, this was pretty good. The story is simple. No high jacking or any kind of bad guy here. Just a huge mistake a worker made. The chemistry between Denzel Washington and Chris Pine is great. They worked really well off of each other. I was surprised at just how exciting the film was. I was ready to be bored. I will admit it was a bit slow in some parts. But the ride this film takes you on is worth sitting through the slow parts."

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• Denzel Washington as Frank
• Chris Pine as Will
• Rosario Dawson as Connie
• Ethan Suplee as Dewey
• Kevin Dunn as Galvin
• Kevin Corrigan as Inspector Werner
• Kevin Chapman as Bunny
• Lew Temple as Ned
• T.J. Miller as Gilleece

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

• 
  The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (93%)
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  Speed (94%)
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  Duel (92%)
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  The First Great Train Robbery (The Great Trai... (40%)

• • Connie: Excuse me, can u help me?
  • Frank: Connie?
  • Connie: I can't decided which one of you I have to kiss first.
  • Frank: Me.
• • Connie: That was 10 Million Pounds, Mr. Galvin. And this is the sound of me saving your ass!
• • Frank: Youve already fired me.
• • Connie: Galvin you're an asshole!
• • Will: Mr.Galvin this is Will Colson, you're conducter. We're gonna run this bitch down.
  • Galvin: Well maybe you didn't here what I just said Colson, I will fire you!
• • Frank: This ain't training. In training they just give you an F. Out here you get killed.

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