In this high-speed action-thriller from Tony Scott (The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Top Gun), an unmanned, mile-long runaway train - with an unfortunate cargo of toxic chemicals, combustible liquids and poisonous gasses - is out of control and on a collision course with a nearby city. Enter Denzel Washington as a veteran engineer and Star Trek's Chris Pine as a conductor, in a race against time to stop the disaster. From the writer of Live Free or Die Hard.
This simple but effective man versus machine blockbuster signals a return to form for director Tony Scott (Top Gun, True Romance and recently: Deja Vu, The Taking of Pelhma 1 2 3).
It takes a little while before it truly hits top gear, but once it does there are plenty of set pieces to get the heart racing. Strangely, these instances are punctuated by scenes dealing heavily in dialogue and exposition, slowing down the momentum built up in the unashamedly kinetic action sequences. The film works well when it contents itself with being a big, goofy blockbuster and much less so when it tries to work in subtext and social allegory. Fortunately, the latter category essentially disappears as the running time progresses. They aren’t replaced with twists or surprises, but this isn’t an edge of your seat type thriller, instead it’s one where you sit back and enjoy the ride of predictable but spectacular genre standards.
Speed on a train is an easy way to summarise it. It delivers intermittently in terms of high-octane thrills and fans of big screen action will get their fill here.
By Andreas Heinemann, Flicks.co.nz
If you've seen John Voight in RUNAWAY TRAIN - you've seen a far more accomplished movie than this. Big, brash and utterly, utterly predictable. Much like pretty much everything Tony Scott's done of late. Just like his (pointless) PELHAM 123 remake, the end is a forgone conclusion from the opening credits. Great sound and cinematography and frenetic editing as we've come to expect from Tony. We've also come to expect Denzel in all his movies, just as we expect Russell Crowe in his brother Ridley's. Denzel must be laughing all the way to the bank... again. Chris Pine is bland and forgettable (ideal then for Captain Kirk...) Yawn...
G8 storytelling is made up of a few simple things, good actors a little bit of anxiety to overcome and most of all personal growth. Im never disappointed by Denzel washington and Chris Pine was an added bonus.
Similar to my review of 127 (of which I saw the same night as this)I didn't expect much from a story about a train. Denzel Washington yet again display his talent for acting, with a good supportive role from Chris Pine. I would and have recommended this to friends.
The movie does what anyone would expect at high speed. If like me you were blown away by the excellent Runaway Train (1985) which offered a lot more tension and insight on the human condition, you will probably wish Unstoppable would be more pretentious or ambitious at least. If you are after an easy to watch action flick Unstoppable is for you. If you are after some real tension, grandiose sceneries, screaming action and superb acting (including from Eric Roberts which pretty much says it all), I recommend you rent the DVD of Runaway Train instead. This is a chef d'oeuvre inspired by Kurosawa.
Train starts. Crash zoom. Shaky cam. Train stops. The end.
The photography and sound here are very effective in establishing that a train is an enormously heavy thing, and once in motion wants to continue. We knew that. But Scott all but crushes us with the weight of the juggernaut. We are spellbound.
Some days a runaway train movie just hits the spot.
As this strangely dull story headed for the buffers, the forces dragging my eyelids south were unstoppable.
The best blue collar action movie in who knows how long, this tense, narrowly focused thriller about a runaway freight train has a lean and pure simplicity to it that is satisfying in and of itself.
A runaway train drama that never slows down, it fashions familiarity into a virtue and shows why old-school professionalism never goes out of style.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 6th Jan 2011.
Release date: January 6th 2011.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
