Unstoppable

Tony Scott is an underrated director, and here in UNSTOPPABLE he exhibits his knack for the action movie. There's a sort of 'fuck-you-this-is-what-an-action-movie-is' aspect to his film, while simultaneously utilizing relatively low-key action that reminds of Frankenheimer's build-ups, trains, and endings. In UNSTOPPABLE, Scott tells the true story of two railmen who saved a town from a runaway train with explosives aboard. The tale is quite remarkable, and exhibits real heros who acted based solely out of the goodness of their hearts and perhaps even a classic 'nothing-to-lose' aspect that cowboys had. Like men-of-war, they act abruptly and in awesome ways. Jumping from one train car to another while its going 75mph is quite a feat, and the film conveniently makes you feel as if you're watching the events unfold on television. A good tale, and, here, told well. Scott's use of subtle camera movements and brisk intercutting and shots allow for the film to have a specific, even tone. The characters are played by Denzel Washington (whose been in a few of Scott's other films) and Chris Pine. They bring an intimacy to the film, for their characters are real, problematic, courageous in spite of that, and finally buoyantly prodding each other throughout the film from frivolity to seriousness. UNSTOPPABLE is an excellent action film, even reminiscent of the low-key, one-note action of SPEED that allows for a marination of ideas and style within the film itself.
Unstoppable: ★★★1/2