Unstoppable. Rated M (infrequent coarse language). 98 minutes. Directed by Tony Scott. Screenplay by Mark Bomback.
The latest race-against-impending-doom high-octane thriller from Scott (Top Gun, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Enemy of the State) has left the railyard – un-manned and under its own ever-increasing speed.
In pursuit of his out-of-control loco adventure, Tony Scott, the younger brother of director Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, Robin Hood), is helped considerably by the ‘based on a true story’ hook and Bomback’s (Die Hard 4) screenplay which absolutely fits the boys-own adventure blueprint – chock-a-block with dare-devil heroics, stunts galore and a mean, lean line in flawed relationship backstory.
Charged with reining in the rogue locomotive and its rolling stock laden with toxic chemicals before it derails and explodes in the middle of a heavily-populated American town, Scott regular Denzel Washington (Frank, a veteran engineer) and Chris Pine (Will, a tyro conductor) throw themselves at the perilous tasks at hand with generous lashings of charismatic macho abandon. Rosario Dawson (Connie, the yard controller) and Kevin Dunn (Galvin, the rail company executive) provide fine support as ally and bombastic foe respectively.
Ben Seresin’s (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) gritty, stylised cinematography and Chris Seagers’ (Saving Private Ryan) extravagant production design ensure that every authentic detail of the story’s rollicking execution is masterfully and atmospherically rendered. The editing by Chris Lebenzon (Pearl Harbor, Alice in Wonderland, Armageddon) and Robert Duffy never misses a frantic beat as Scott and Seresin’s camera swoops, sweeps and strains to capture the unfolding drama from every possible (and a couple of seemingly quite impossible) angles.
Nail-biters? You have been warned!
Pictured: Chris Pine in one of Unstoppable's rare (and momentary) pensive moments.
This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.
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