The day starts out like a normal one in the train yard of Pennsylvania. Workers are getting ready to man their engines. Rail conductors are watching their posts to make sure all trains run efficiently and Vice Presidents of organisations are overlooking the whole process. This day though is not going to be like any other day. For one, all of these people are going to have to ban together to make sure a runaway freight train loaded with fuel, chemicals is contained to the tracks. Because if it doesn't, Statton is going to be destroyed. On his first day of work, new recruit conductor Will (Chris Pine) is paired with veteran engineer Frank (Denzel Washington). The two men share stories and Will is taught the way of the tracks by Frank. On the other side of town, two railroad employees are asked to move Train 777, carrying fuel and toxic chemicals. When one of the employees forgets to attach the safety breaks and jumps out of the carriage due to forgetting to change the tracks, the train shifts into gear and starts picking up speed. What we now have is a run away train carrying a hell of a lot of harmful products, traveling without breaks and heading towards Statton at an alarming speed (see told you this was not going to be a boring ride). It is up to Connie (Rosario Dawson) a rail conductor to ban together with old school engineer Frank and new recruit Will to try and find a way to stop this train after VP of operations Galvin (Kevin Dunn) plans fail. I am not going to say anymore, because if I do it will totally spoil it.
What I will say is this. Get ready to grab hold of your seat and remember to breath as this is 100 minutes of full on intense action/drama. Tony Scott once again proves why he is a master of suspense and action. The man has the gift. He may not do amazing films like his brother (who is also a producer on this film) but he does know how to keep the audience interested and is an exciting story maker through his directing. The action scenes are amazing with close up shots and quick editing to keep the pace of the movie exhilarating. At the start of the movie we are told that this is based on true events, and as we all know that that is usually tweaked in Hollywood blockbusters, but Tony sure knows how to use real events to make the viewer sit up and take notice of the hard working people who risk their lives when situations like this happen.
But like other action directors (I'm looking at you Michael Bay) Tony Scott gets his actors to actually act instead of relying on special effects to keep the audience interested. He uses the human emotion to suck the viewer in and this movie is no different. I have never been a big fan of Denzel Washington, but for once I was actually surprised. He brings a gentle nature to a man who has been with a company for a long time, but also a man when duty calls will step up to the plate. Chris Pine is turning into an actor to watch. He plays Will the same way Denzel plays Frank a man with a past who is trying to prove himself in the world of tthe trains industry I am not going to leave out Rosario Dawson here either as Connie. Although limited to one space (a control room) for the whole movie, she allows her character to be shown in a smart light and a woman when duty calls will step it up. You can literally feel every emotion in this movie by her face. All actors prove this as all are restricted to the smallest acting space: Frank and Will in a conductor box on a train and Connie in a control room, but allow the viewer to become emotionally involved with the characters.
All I can say is that this is the perfect Sunday afternoon movie. It grabbed my attention, made me hold my breath many times, and amazed me with the brave decisions humans make sometimes. All the acting is excellent, the action scenes exhilarating and the direction perfect for this kind of movie. Unstoppable was one train I really would not want to be in the way of, but one movie I didn't want to get off of. 8/10
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