Loosely based on the 2001 CSX 8888 incident (also called the Crazy Eights unmanned train incident), Unstoppable is the latest film from director Tony Scott (Man on Fire); showcasing the efforts of two men attempting to stop a runaway freight train with enough speed, and dangerous cargo, to make it as potentially damaging as a WMD.
Any My Name is Earl fan will be flabbergasted at the casting choice of Ethan Suplee (the American History X star who portrayed the dimwitted Randy on the show) as a train driver, until after only a couple of minutes onscreen he’s presented as not only being lazy, but stupid; as he steps out of a rolling train in order to correct a line switch, and not only falls over and fails to get back in, but accidentally (and unbeknownst to himself) engages the freight trains throttle; mimicking the real life events that caused the Crazy Eights incident, and setting up the rest of the film’s events.
Chris Pine (Star Trek) stars as Will Colson; a young train conductor, fresh out of the training academy who starts off the film working for the first time with veteran engineer Frank Barnes (Denzel Washington, The Taking of Pelham 123); eager to prove himself, desperate not to mess up, and struggling to balance a troubled marriage, as he begins a day that should be like any other.
After a bit of banter, a little bit of backstory (so we all get to know the two leading men a touch more), a couple of foul ups by Colson, and a fair bit of moseying around by the rail company (who for a good while don’t even realize the runaway train is running away, but think it’s simply cruising along and will slow itself to stop after only a few miles), everyone begins to cotton on to just what a dangerous situation they have in front of them, and attempt to find a way to stop it.
Like many other trains out that day the one being controlled by Barnes and Colson is ordered into a siding to avoid being hit, and after the rail company finally figures out that not only is the runaway freight train gaining momentum and heading for some highly populated areas, but carrying several cars worth of dangerous chemicals that basically make it; in the words of one rail worker; “a missile the size of the Chrysler Building”; they begin a desperate scramble to both clear the railways of anything it could hit, and bring it to a stop.
Needless to say, being an action picture about a runaway train, there are numerous things that find their way onto the tracks and get promptly demolished by the wrecking ball of a train, as the rail company debates about the safest way to bring the train to a halt, and attempts several ill-fated plans both before, and during, the attempt finally mounted by the film’s heroes (Barnes and Colson); who decide to chase down the giant freighter in their locomotive, hook on, and “gun it in the other direction.”
While there’s not too many levels to the plot of Unstoppable (a source of contention which has become one of the movie’s main criticisms), there isn’t too much more that could have been done; because really how many different ways can you take a story about a runaway train? and how many times can you have something new ‘accidentally’ falling onto the rail lines?; and while the plot may be thin, it’s engaging enough (with office politics presided over by an obnoxious executive type; played by Transformers’ Kevin Dunn; who potentially holds the lives of thousands of people in his hands and makes for a corporate mogul who’s easy to dislike), and successfully amps up the tension throughout; ensuring that like the runaway freight, Unstoppable continues to gain momentum from start to finish.
As always Denzel Washington delivers a strong performance, and while it isn’t one of his finest (an issue more down to a fairly thin plot, and weak characterization, than any mishap on his part), he remains as enigmatic and easily watchable as ever, just as Chris Pine will to his fans; as he delivers a performance which is typical of his fairly average talents, largely forgettable, and whilst engaging enough, will likely be forgotten soon after watching.
Supporting artists fare well; with the always easy to watch Kevin Dunn appearing a stereotypical yet still believable suit, and Rosario Dawson (Seven Pounds) delivering a decent performance as the yardmaster Connie Hooper, who bickers with Dunn’s character (her boss), and always tries to help the heroes in any way she can.
As with many of Tony Scott’s movies the frantic camerawork may be a little off putting for some viewers, but does help in raising the tension bar throughout the film; something that is consistently upped by the ever increasing danger the train presents, the increasing danger those attempting to stop it find themselves in, and the many crashes, smashes, and obligatory gasps at a TV screen or computer monitor coming from those watching their loved ones on the news, or from their workstation.
While it may have had a very misleading title (even if it was simply a case of running out of track, crashing into one of the densely populated areas it passed through, or being slowed to a stop by a daring train crew, it was always going to stop somewhere), Unstoppable provides exactly what you expect from this type of action movie; an easy to watch popcorn movie that features plenty of crashes, a bit of tension and the odd laugh, and is a perfect bit of escapism for whiling away a couple of hours with solid, and not in the least bit thought provoking, entertainment.
Picture:
Coming via a 1080p transfer that looks constantly sharp, has great textures, solid black levels, and striking colour and contrast, Unstoppable looks great on Blu-ray, and contains natural looking fleshtones, a thin enough layer of grain to lend it that filmic look, and only a few hints of easily missable aliasing to sully the presentation; that thankfully contains no other visible errors such as scratches, or heavy DNR; making it a great watch, and a solid transfer.
Audio:
Presented via a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack, Unstoppable’s audio sounds almost as good as its video looks; comprising of effortless pans, deep, rumbling, and appropriate bass (which features heavily in this track), clear, comprehensible, and well prioritized dialogue (which only ever becomes lost when the action calls for it to be swallowed up), and clear and crisp sounds throughout that never become distorted, and showcase a great dynamic range.
Atmospherics sound great, and while the more action heavy scenes provide a more fully rounded and enveloping experience than the majority of the track (which often sounds somewhat flatter due to the relatively quiet rear channels), Unstoppable has a strong and fairly engrossing audio transfer that’s sure to please any of its fans.
Extras:
Unstoppable also aims to please its fans with a whole host of bonus features that begin with an audio commentary by director Tony Scott; an enthusiastic track covering everything from the film’s stunts, locations, and his own script-work, that never becomes more than an average listen; access to BD-Live, and a featurette entitled The Fastest Track: Unleashing Unstoppable; an interesting feature with a good deal of behind the scenes footage, and explanations of the actors’ preparation, the scripting process, how the movie was shot, and the involvement of real life railroad executives.
Also included is a trailer for Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps, an interesting featurette covering the film’s stunt work, an average collection of interviews with the director and cast, a great in-depth look at a derailment scene (exploring everything from the preparation, camera setups, and the execution of the stunt), and a BD-Live exclusive covering the film’s pyrotechnics.
The numerous featurettes combine to create not only a fairly long runtime, but a decent selection of extras that contain just about all the behind the scenes information, on set footage, and interviews with the cast and crew, that any fan could desire, and should be of interest to anyone who enjoyed the movie.
The Bottom Line:
Aside from something that’s unstoppable, Unstoppable delivers exactly what it promises; an entertaining popcorn movie about a runaway train with a few explosions, a good few crashes, and plenty of momentum that continues to push up the tension, and make for an extremely easy to watch movie.
Containing a wealth of lengthy featurettes, a decent audio commentary, and some basic but enjoyable cast interviews, coupled with great video and audio quality, the Blu-ray edition of Unstoppable is definitely the way to go for anyone looking to own this enjoyable movie, although for most casual viewers, renting it would probably be good enough.
