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Unstoppable (2010)

Time Out rating

Average user rating

11 reviews

Synopsis

Tony Scott returns again with Denzel Washington as his leading man in this action adventure about a runaway train carrying a haul of dangerous chemicals that's heading towards a big city. Washington plays a veteran locomotive engineer and the man tasked with saving the city, and along for the ride is Chris Pine ('Star Trek') as his young conductor sidekick.

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

Tony Scott obviously buys into the old Orson Welles adage about cinema being ‘the biggest electric train set a boy ever had’. He follows his ‘Taking of Pelham 1 2 3’ remake with this much better action flick showcasing an even bigger hunk of rolling stock. After a snarl-up at the yard, this half-mile-long freight-hauling baby starts trundling along the rails on its own, gathering momentum through leafy Pennsylvania towards a dangerous curve where its payload of explosive chemicals promise a preview of the apocalypse.

On the same tracks, a bunch of kiddies on a school trip, and another shunting engine where wily old engineer Denzel Washington is showing hot-shit new-boy Chris Pine the ropes. They’ll all be Jello if they get in the way, but letting the beast through is no solution either…

You’ll look in vain for the metaphysical overlay Akira Kurosawa and Andrey Konchalovsky brought to a not dissimilar set-up in ‘Runaway Train’ (1985), but this is nuts-and-bolts suspense cinema at its slickest. Scott, his multi-camera crew and gifted editor don’t need 3D or even much CGI to convince us of the destructive potential of this big bad boy and sustain the tension effectively as fearful controller Rosario Dawson and unfolding TV news coverage fill in the necessary exposition.

If you’re nit-picking, the personal issues batted between Washington and Pine in the cab feel decidedly formulaic, and the movie does peak in intensity around the two-thirds mark. Yet ultimately the pleasure is boyishly simple: very big train hits stuff. Bish bash bosh. Job done. Great fun.

Author: Trevor Johnston

Time Out Film Guide

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User reviews of this film

Thomas Noctor said...

Posted on Dec 30 2010 13:04 Not too bad, like 'Speed' on a train with no bad guy! Worth a watch! Denzel is great as usual!

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critique said...

Posted on Dec 09 2010 21:13 Well made and does exactly what it says on the tin, but very predictable and not really my cup of tea.

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samantha said...

Posted on Dec 06 2010 10:25 Great film!!

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Gregg Bowen said...

Posted on Dec 06 2010 09:44 Very watchable and gripping suspense thriller, but most of the characters are so cliched and too wholesome. I
'd love to see a British version of heroic , hunky Network Rail engineers saving an unmanned out of control Pendolino heading towards Rotheram by throwing the wrong type of leaves on the track!

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Evie said...

Posted on Nov 30 2010 23:15 Pleasingly realistic looking and one or two chuckle out loud lines. Not exactly in the running for an oscar but if you saw the trailer and thought 'that looks so absurd I must see it' youre probably the type of cinemagoer who will enjoy it. Puts your bad day at work into perspective. Plus chris pine in his pants. Standard.

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hARRY hEMLOCK said...

Posted on Nov 30 2010 20:13 Tony Scott is the worst director working in the Hollywood system today, his self-satisfied brother the second worst, .This is generic, by-the-numbers bollocks and I have officially lost faith in all Time Out reviews. Bring back Geoff Andrew.

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scrumpyjack said...

Posted on Nov 29 2010 21:05 Crisp, lean action thriller (actually, a little TOO lean....could have done with another 10 min! - now, we can't say THAT too often now days, can we!) Four star? no way! Decent, unfussy "GOOD" entertainment? YES WAY! 7/10

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Keith Beckett said...

Posted on Nov 27 2010 11:04 Very good film in my opinion, if I knew Denzil Washington's character in the film I would give him a sexy massage after his exploits!!!

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ARCHGATE said...

Posted on Nov 26 2010 23:39 This should have been a humdinger .... but it aint.
Rosario Dawson and Chris Pine phone in their performances. Given the fact that theirs are pivotal roles, the inept acting renders this forgettable. Rent "Runaway Train" to see a great locomotive out of control film. Sorry Denzel.

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DV said...

Posted on Nov 26 2010 16:24 Tony Scott is very good at this. Outstanding action/suspense type flick - nearly five stars! No pretensions, just lots of momentum. Enjoy.

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viv said...

Posted on Nov 14 2010 20:31 Love Denzil, good movie!

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