By Rick Bentley
McClatchy Newspapers
Tony Scott faced a formidable challenge with “Unstoppable”: He had to create tension, excitement and danger without having a villain.
Although he brushes close to the boundaries of absurdity at times, the veteran director manages to capture all of those elements through a speeding locomotive.
‘UNSTOPPABLE’* Rating: PG-13 for language, violence.* Running time: 1 hour, 38 minutes.
The film, inspired by the 2001 true story of an unmanned train, depicts what happens when two average railroad employees — veteran engineer Frank (Denzel Washington) and rookie conductor Will (Chris Pine) — become the last hope to stop a runaway train loaded with hazardous material headed straight for a heavily populated area.
Scott expands the simple story through an examination of the two men forced into heroic duty. Frank is a father dealing with estranged daughters; Will is dealing with the negative reactions to the nepotism that landed him his job.
Washington has shown an interest in playing average men pushed into extraordinary situations in movies such as “The Taking of Pelham 123” and “The Book of Eli.” He’s comfortable slipping into that skin, and it shows, especially in scenes with Pine.
Scott makes the most of that emotional strength by shifting from the men to the train with a pacing that creates a stomach-twisting sense of urgency. His directing style has always had elements of chaos, and that’s magnified here to make this movie one heckuva thrill ride.
There’s a disconnect with supporting players such as Rosario Dawson as a yardmaster dealing simultaneously with the train crisis and a brainless corporate office. Scott tries to make her part of the chase sequence, but it’s as if she’s on a completely different set of tracks.
Overall, the director succeeds because there’s a continually growing frenzy of action in a very frugal 98 minutes. There are moments when the laws of physics seem to have been suspended, But this isn’t a documentary and a little poetic license is allowed — especially when the result ends up so entertaining.
c. The Fresno (Calif.) Bee