Unstoppable

Hollywood really loves a come from behind victory of good over evil (metaphorically). In this case its the speeding away run away train that needs ... read more

Hollywood really loves a come from behind victory of good over evil (metaphorically). In this case its the speeding away run away train that needs to be stopped. What baffles me is that how in the first place can a train be left on full throttle and no person to control it. Its hard to fathom such a thing ever happening.

Frank (Denzel Washington) is a veteran railroad engineer who is about to be sacked because of his age. Frank is set up to train Will (Chris Pine). During their stint, they happen to be in the path of a speeding train that is unmanned and is deemed as highly dangerous because of the toxic content that its carrying. Frank and Will both don't have much things to look up to in life and hence they go on a suicide mission to stop the train.

The pace of the movie is good and is one of its strong points. It doesn't feel like a drag at any point and is a smooth watchable experience. That said some of the action that is passed on the film is very cheesy and one cannot think up of any way that it would be possible in a real life scenario. To add to that, the movie's background score is poor and could have helped in lifting the movie's end face value a lot.

Denzel Washington is one fine actor and he is the only reason that you should watch this movie if you decide to. Chris Pine is decent. He does not get much of a scope to display his acting skills.

I am not sure if Tony Scott just stumbled into two scripts related to a speeding train or if one was conceived as an inspiration from the other. The other film being Taking of Pelham 123. Having said that I would like to say that Tony Scott has done a much better job in this film than the former. But there was ample scope for improvement and perhaps Tony should have taken some inspiration from a fantastic classic by the name of Speed.

Rating:
Denzel Washington fan? Go for it.
Love high paced action? Wait for the DVD
Date movie? No.

Repeat value: Only if its free.


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I love movies which do not have conventional heroes - the kickboxers, and the die hard romantics. And railways have always provided fodder for the ... read more

I love movies which do not have conventional heroes - the kickboxers, and the die hard romantics. And railways have always provided fodder for the Indian film buff - right from Sholay to the Burning Train to Chaiyya Chaiyya to the lesser known but critically acclaimed Seher. Unstoppable takes the theme even further - the entire movie centers around one rogue train which has its way around the state of Pennyslvania without a driver. Kind of a second sequel to Speed, after the horrible film that was Speed2: Cruise Control.

When a train hostler behaves recklessly and jumps off No 777 carrying bogeys full of hazardous chemicals, the entire city watches with bated breath as the unmanned 'missile' moves towards a heavily populated Stanton city. As all efforts to slow or derail the train prove to be unsuccessful, it is upto train Engineer Frank Barnes (Denzel Washington) and conductor Will Colson (Chris Pine) to avert the greatest disaster in this part of the world. Steering Engine No. 1206 and ably assisted by yardmaster Connie Hooper (Rosario Dawson), the duo attach their engine to the rear end of the train and stop it after a display of bravado.

Although there is not much focus on acting prowess, casting Denzel Washington was obviously a good choice as he does put in a lot of effort into each role. As a veteran engineer 3 weeks away from voluntary retirement, he plays the role remarkably well. The other 2 prominent characters, Chris and Rosario Dawson go along well too, without committing any hara-kiri which would have spoiled the mood of the film. The mood is intense throughout, as the film picks up steam slowly, quite like the main character, Train 777. Painted Bright red, watching it chug alongside lush green fields with helicopters hovering around is a treat for the visual senses. To top it all, there are mandatory sequences of men trying to harness the steel horse from running cars on the side, or climbing atop. Some of them falter, while others succeed.

Cinematography is key in an action thriller, and the guy responsible for it (Ben Seresin) does not dissapoint. The train is captured from practically all angles possible, and the frame is shaky at times to depict the situation. A lot of money is spent on blasting away bogies and trucks, as well as on mindblowing sequences (when the train is manoeuvered through the Stanton curve is one such). A lot of the action comes as a part of news telecasts, thus giving it a realistic feel. Diversions from the story are thankfully few and far in between.

It feels real, and provides a lot of adrenaline rush. A better choice this weekend.

PS - Unstoppable is based on a real life event which happened in 2001: CSX 8888, a runaway train ran unmanned for 2 hours in Ohio City after which it was brought to a halt with the help of a second locomotive. Quite like the incident in the movie. view less

I have been a fan of Tony Scott right from Crimson Tide (1995). Ever since he has regularly come up with edge of the seat topical thrillers (Enemy ... read more

I have been a fan of Tony Scott right from Crimson Tide (1995). Ever since he has regularly come up with edge of the seat topical thrillers (Enemy of the State, Spy Game, Man on Fire, Dj vu). His association with Denzel Washington also has proved successful majority of the time. So together they team up with Chris Pine to bring you Unstoppable.

Based in the state of Pennsylvania, the film is inspired by the Crazy Eights unmanned train incident in 2001. Two seemingly isolated events happen in two different rail yards of AWVR, a fictional railroad company. Due to the negligence of one of the hostlers, a train,777, is left loose, unmanned with 100% throttle, gaining speed and posing an immediate threat to a train of school children out for an excursion. To make matters worse,777, is loaded with hazardous molten phenol, which would lead to a major disaster if the train were to crash. On the other side, 2 AWVR employees, Will Colson (Chris Pine) & Frank Barnes (Denzel Washington) are ferrying their locomotive 1206 to attach it to their train for the day. Colson, a conductor, just 4 months out of training and Frank, an engineer working with the railroad for 28 years, working together for the first time, have their own axe to grind. Colson is fighting a restraining order from his wife and kid, whilst Frank and his colleagues are upset that the veterans of the railroad are being laid off due to the young blood like Colson who have joined due to their contacts within the organization.

So on one side, 777 has barely missed crashing into the trainful of school kids, crashed two locomotives deployed by the company to stop it, in the process injuring 1 staff and killing the veteran operator in the bargain and is headed towards the town of Stanton, where a dangerous curve on the bridge will be its Waterloo. Whereas on the other side we have Frank trying to show Colson down on every opportunity he gets and trying to avoid crashing into the 777 coming at it at 71mph. Behind the scenes, the yard master Connie (Rosario Dawson) is trying to make sense out of the whole chaos by trying to convince her operations manager Oscar Gavin (Kevin Dunn) to derail the train in an open area, simultaneously alerting the local police to man all crossings and deputing the welder Ned (Lew Temple) to outrun the train somehow.

Do our bickering buddies resolve their differences in time to stand up to the situation and become heroes? Does Connie manage to drill sense into Gavin and her company to avert an environmental disaster? Can Ned finally make it on the train? Unbelievable situation? Unstoppable!

Racy, slick with excellent sound effects, Unstoppable is Tony Scots Speed, but without any revenge seeking villains. Subtly mentioning the ills of the economy and the amoral functioning of corporates in order to maximize profits, the film is pure adrenaline rush. The high octane train sequences are staged with increasingly nail biting tension without using computer generated trickery. Though there are lot of creative liberties taken into the screenplay which makes things convenient for the director and the protagonists to come to an intriguing heroic climax. The exaggerated media overdose, usually the medium used to inform family members, loved and estranged ones, about how their men are in the middle of an ongoing crisis and it is only their death defying acts which will save the world. There could have been certain details which would have made the plot more realistic, for example the mention of how much of a parallel track is available for Ned to help them out. He crisscrosses into the train tracks whenever required. Though it does give the ongoing action that extra fillip, it does get predictable past a point. Also you know that the decisions taken by Gavin and the corporate honchos will always be wrong and Frank & Connie, being the grass root workers, will always be right! Since Colson is shown to be a man who gives up too quick he will require that man to man ball talk for him to take the final plunge! An out and out genre film, Unstoppable is solid, if forgettable entertainment.

Unstoppable is definitely worth a watch once. A good date movie? Yes. Movie to catch up with friends on an idle Saturday? Yes.

Does it have The Y Factor:Yes

Rating:7/10


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One more film and Tony Scott will complete his train trilogy. At this rate he would have become the railway minister of India had he been making mo... read more

One more film and Tony Scott will complete his train trilogy. At this rate he would have become the railway minister of India had he been making movies here. With this one he completes his hat trick of working with Denzel Washington back to back.

Unstoppable like most of Tony Scotts movies is about a crisis situation. This time it is an unmanned train running through a highly populated area with no air brakes. The first half is spent in setting up the premise during which you get to know the personal crisis of the two male leads. The thing I found interesting in the first half is that Denzel Washington is the father of two daughters 18 and 19 who work as waitresses at Hooters and he is ok about it. Thats a cool dad. So, the first half is spent waiting for that thrill ride to begin. I almost screamed in my head at the two leads come on guys, stop discussing your life there is a train to be stopped. It is only in the 2nd half when things heat up and the heroes go after the speeding train that I realized that the 1st half worked because it made me care for these two guys. I wanted them to stop the train but I wanted them to stay alive. Since the film is about courage under fire and I saw it on 26/11, I couldnt help but compare it with the 26/11 tragedy. Chris Pine, after his impressive act as Kirk (Star Trek) last year stands up to Denzel Washington in a rock solid performance. Anybody who has seen most of Tony Scotts film knows what to expect. Like Jerry Bruckheimer, Tony Scott has created his own trademark style of film making and if you like that style you cant stop yourself from enjoying this.

Final few words: While most of the films derail in the 2nd half this one stays right on track. Unstoppable is the ideal weekend popcorn movie you can catch this weekend.

Rating : *** (mast hai!)

Ticket Meter : 90/ - (paisa vasool)
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The train which can't stop mindblowing...