Unstoppable (2010)

Directed by Tony Scott. Starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Kevin Dunn, Kevin Corrigan, Ethan Suplee, T. J. Miller, Lew Temple, Kevin Chapman, David Warshofsky, Jessy Schram. [PG-13]

How would you stop a runaway train that’s “half a mile long,” traveling 70+ mph, carrying “eight freight cars of hazardous chemicals and five thousand gallons of diesel fuel,” and heading straight for major populated areas? Remember now: “we’re talking about a missile the size of the Chrysler Building.” Why not toss a couple of A-list stars into another train and give chase? Such is the premise of this surprisingly good action-thriller, inspired by a real-life incident (if heavily dramatized for the sake of a kinetic show). Denzel Washington (veteran) and Chris Pine (rookie) are the “working class hero” engineer/conductor odd-couple at the controls of a train on the same line as the brake-less runaway, and it’s up to them and the coordination efforts of a dogged yardmaster (Dawson) and other assorted railroad personnel to prevent a massive catastrophe. During the early stages, I begged for director Tony Scott to rein in the cameraman and slow down on the frenetic cutting, the kind of disorienting shock-and-awe visuals which spoiled a lot of his recent pictures, and he did just that…to a point. Eventually, the simple pleasures of greased-up heavy machinery, charismatic personalities, roaring speed, and glossy shots of an unmanned locomotive barreling through whatever gets in its way take hold, and the frenzied aesthetic meets the chugging velocity of the film’s suspense and pyrotechnics, and it becomes a giddy blast of full-throttle preposterousness…in terms of proportions and physical credibility. Scott’s swan song, and a reminder of what an inventive craftsman of commercial entertainment he could be on his best days.

73/100