Unstoppable (2010)

Simply Perfect

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Wants to get thrilled? Then watch "Unstoppable". It is exciting and you will forget everything for the next 98 minutes. The movie is full of excitement and it takes the viewers to be part of the challenging mission. The BGM is wonderful and it suits well with the overall theme of the movie. Buy some popcorn and just enjoy the thrill.

Tony Scott's Unstoppable was the maverick's last directorial outing before his heartbreaking and untimely death. It's ironic because the film's title is a descriptive term I would have applied to the man's career, life and approach to filmmaking. But it was not to be. This is some swan song of a film to go out on though, a pleasing juggernaut of an action drama that greases the tracks and goes full steam ahead. Any film about trains run amok will inevitably be compared to the 1984 masterpiece Runaway Train, and although this one is vastly different in both story and tone, they just seem to be sister films. The mournful, resolute nature of Jon Voight's character in it just seems to echo the sadness surrounding this film, and the fact that it was Tony's last. But that's just my strange intuition talking. The film itself isn't really melancholy or downbeat, in fact it focuses largely on human triumph in the face of gross error. There is in fact a runaway train on the loose here, but the stakes are upped when we find out that it's packed to the brim with highly toxic and flammable chemicals, and hurtling unchecked towards a densely populated metropolitan area. Denzel Washington is the Everyman veteran railroad worker, in danger of having his job devoured by greedy corporate development and ready to have a meltdown. Chris Pine is the hothead rookie swaggering through his first month on throb, and together they have to deal with the disaster, and prevent any further outcome. Rosario Dawson is the frantic control station operator, trying to coach two other workers (Lew Temple & Ethan Suplee) and help as best she can. Kevin Dunn is the abrasive company CEO, unwilling to get his hands dirty and callously looking for the first readily available solution, even if it results in mild casualties that he doesn't have to witness. It's all been done before, no doubt, but not by Scott, and you can never write off a formula, trope or act n cliché as dead until the maverick has had a good crack at it. The scenes involving the train are breathless and edited with a glass shard explosiveness, never to shaky or chaotic, always in control and bursting from the frames like the speeding locomotive they encompass. Look out for Jeff Wincott as Pine's older brother, as well as Kevin Corrigan, T.J. Miller and David Warshofsky as well. It's not a bad little flick for a director to put the final seal on his career with, and stands as a wrecking ball of an action flick. I just wish we got to see more from the guy. RIP Tony.

The plot is not even that bad, it's a simple low budget Hollywood movie, and probably entertaining enough for it's audience. But where this movie really fails is the most awful camera work in history of movies. Every single shot is either a shaky cam, some quick 'zoom adjust' shot or the godawful camera on that rail. It is supposed to give you the feel of motion, but the dumb camera rail is in 99% of all the shots. Even in the office shots are done with this setup. Aargh, Tony Scott, for the love of god, why? As if you are watching a movie from a marry-go-round. Just, plain, awful.. A 3 out of 10 is generous, out of respect for the actors.

In Pennsylvania, one engineer is maneuvering a train in the yard and accidentally leaves the train operating without the pneumatic brakes engaged. The operation department initially believes it is a coaster but soon the operators realize that the unmanned train is running on full power. Further, it is carrying dangerous chemicals and diesel in the cargo wagons. There are many unsuccessful attempts to stop the runaway train and the veteran engineer Frank Barnes (Denzel Washington) and the young conductor Will Colson (Chris Pine) decide to take the chance to reduce the speed of the train with the most unlikely operation.The farewell of the brilliant director Tony Scott is a thriller with non- stop action inspired in a true event in Ohio. The screenplay is engaging and the dramatization is adequate to the story. The great cast with Denzel Washington, Chris Pine and Rosario Dawson completes this excellent entertainment. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Incontrolável" ("Uncontrollable")