FILM REVIEW Unstoppable

Denzel Washington (left) and Chris Pine star in ‘Unstoppable’.

Reining in a runaway train


Cinema
Daniel Carey

I’M a bit hazy on the details, but can still clearly remember the feeling. I must have been about eight when, returning by car from the bog, a bag of turf slipped out of the boot or trailer (told you I couldn’t remember the ins and outs of it). My dad went back to retrieve it but, as we were on a slope, the car started to lurch forward. Not knowing what a hand-brake was or did, all I could do was scream loudly until my father sprinted back on board. True story.
If not quite a true story, ‘Unstoppable’ – the tale of an unmanned train laden with hazardous material hurtling through Pennsylvania – is inspired by real events. Although the trailer has been running for ages, Tony Scott’s new movie has gone on general release just in time to be used as a handy metaphor. Two days before it hit our screens, it was deployed by UTV Business Editor Jamie Delargy to explain why Ireland was heading for an EU/IMF bailout. Unfortunately, our political leaders have displayed none of the bravery and decisiveness shown by veteran train driver Frank (Denzel Washington) and young conductor Will (Chris Pine) as they bid to prevent a catastrophe.
“It got away,” pleads the man whose error set the vehicle in motion. “It’s a train, Dewey, not a chipmunk,” chides Connie (Rosario Dawson), the woman at the train company’s HQ who ends up as Frank and Will’s main link with the outside world. Initially thought to be a slow-moving ‘coaster’, it becomes clear that the runaway is under power despite the absence of a driver. Think ‘The Taking of Pelham 123’ (a flick director Scott remade) without the passengers or, indeed, the terrorists.
As if dealing with ‘a missile the size of the Chrysler building’ isn’t enough, Connie finds herself doing battle with Oscar Galvin (Kevin Dunn), a company man who’s in charge of the rescue effort. County Wicklow residents may be relieved to know that his plans to derail the train near the town of Arklow come to nought.



Much of the picture is spent switching between footage of the speeding train and dialogue – between Frank and Will, or Connie and Galvin, or all four. The result is a very entertaining 99 minutes. If you’re prepared to go with the flow, ‘Unstoppable’ does exactly what it says on the tin. It plays to its strengths – ordinary people working against the clock, putting themselves in harm’s way to prevent a train-wreck and a toxic spill. It could easily have been mush, but generally manages to avoid being mawkish. “Don’t get sentimental on me,” Frank tells Will. “It makes me think I’m going to die.”
The relationship between the principals never gets bogged down in odd-couple territory, and their respective histories are gently moulded into the story. The main focus is on the action. ‘Unstoppable’ includes some of the most thrilling close-quarters train action since ‘Back to the Future Part III’, and one of cinema’s most heroic small-scale injuries.
The dialogue rings true, and there are laughs too, even if they’re of the lip-curling rather than the hearty variety. The picture also successfully blends the dissemination of technical information (which train-spotters will enjoy) with more accessible explanations of what’s going on, such as “We’ve got two guys on the main line about to play chicken with our train!”
Since I’m writing this while travelling on Irish Rail’s early-morning Westport-Dublin service, hopefully the events detailed in ‘Unstoppable’ won’t be repeated in these parts any time soon

Rating 7 out of 10