Viewed in theaters, November 14, 2010
I've seen my share of thrilling suspense movies--U-571, Rear Window, The Prestige, Signs, The Village, Deja Vu, etc. Unfortunately a good thriller (that's not a horror or natural disaster movie) has been hard to come by in the past few years. This is the one. I went with a group of friends--for the entire length of the movie, we were fidgeting and (literally) on the edge of our seats. I was white-knuckled and had my hand over my mouth, holding my breath for what was coming next. There were many times in this movie where I really did not know what was coming next or how the tables would turn. When the credits started rolling, we all collapsed back into our chairs and I yelled, "WOW! I'm exhausted!" To be perfectly honest, Unstoppable is one of the best suspense race-against-the-clock movies I've seen in a while.
The basic storyline: Will and Frank are starting their first day together as the operators of a train on a mainline that runs through back country Pennsylvania. Frank (Denzel Washington) has been a train operator for 28 years; it's Will's (Chris Pine) first day. They rub elbows a bit, but eventually settle into an uneasy working relationship. MEANWHILE, at a hub miles away, a careless error causes an unmanned train to whiz down the exact same mainline; it's not enough that the air brakes are out, but this train is also carrying alot of deadly chemicals. It's heading towards a massive disaster in the shape of an elevated hairpin turn through a city. Frank and Will hear about it and decide they're going to try to stop the train...but how do you catch an unmanned train that is a half-mile-long and zipping along at 70+ mph? Especially when all other attempts to stop it have failed miserably? It's an intense race against time that will keep you captivated and white-knuckled.
I really enjoyed this movie. (As if you haven't figured it out already!) Chris Pine (as always) gives a fantastic earthy, down-on-his-luck performance of the newbie who also struggles with separation from his wife (triggered by a misunderstanding). Denzel Washington (amazing as he is) contributes his acting talents as the wizened good-ol-boy who grapples with an estranged relationship with his two grown daughters. Rosario Dawson performs beautifully as the overstretched hub manager who juggles corporate on the other line (did I mention that corporate doesn't want to destroy or derail its train, even if it might prevent a major disaster?). The movie actually flies by really quickly, and the pace of it matches the runaway train--fast, terrifying, and extremely loud.
NEGATIVES:
>>Profanity: True to PG-13 form, there are quite a few profanities peppered in between gripping dialogue and fast action. There is the obligatory F-word, a few irreverent mentions of God's name, and about 25 other words (by PluggedIn's count). Some characters silently mouth curse words (it's obvious what they're thinking); others consistently use the same ones. I guess it's supposed to make us feel like we're down in the dirt with the working man, and I really felt that way--like I was covered in dirt. It took away from the overall enjoyment of the film, and it was really distracting. (Not that profanity is EVER acceptable, but it is far too overused in this film, ifyaknowwhaddimean.)
>>Violence: If you consider action, loud trains, minor destruction, and people making daring mid-air leaps onto/off of trains and cars violent, then this film is jam-packed with it. It's never person-to-person; it's always a result of the runaway train, whether directly or indirectly. The worst part is when one character gets their foot accidentally jammed between metal clamps that connect the train cars--their foot gets literally crushed when the train cars bump together (later we see the bloodied and painful foot when the character tries to duct-tape it up as a temporary fix). People make flying leaps from train car to train car; from cars to trains; from trains to cars; and from trains to the ground. <<SPOILER ALERT!!!>> One character is killed when his train is derailed; it explodes into a gigantic ball of fire with him inside. Although we never see him, we know he's in the train and it's pretty startling. <<SPOILER ALERT OVER!!!>>
>>Spiritual content: People misuse God's name alot, and sometimes it's unclear whether they're just saying it or they're really breathing a quick prayer.
>>Alcohol and Drugs: Frank's daughters both work at Hooter's, so of course we see certain people drinking and "partying it up" there.
>>Sexual content: Again, Frank's daughters work at Hooter's. There are a few jokes made about it (it's obvious that Frank disapproves, but hey, they're grown-ups, right? What can Dad do about it?). We see a quick shot of Will in his Hanes. Dancers in a music video going on the background has some, uh, uncomfortably scanty costumes. A few female characters have low-cut shirts but nothing too inappropriate.
This film gives some awesome food for thought about heroism, courage, trust in a marriage relationship (and forgiveness), doing what's right, corporate greed, the power of family, and self-sacrifice. Although the profanity is distracting, overall I think this is a great movie and has a powerful message about the strength of the human spirit. I would say this movie is okay for teenaged kids, but keep the level of profanity in mind. Again, it's a suspense thriller--so come prepared to be on the edge of your seat for an hour and a half!
5 1/2 out of 6 stars
So that everyone (including myself) may benefit from it, please feel free to leave your own personal opinion of this film.
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