Dumb Dewey and the fast train
My mom tried to convince me to watch Unstoppable a while ago but I declined. For some reason, I thought it was just a fancy version of the movie Speed. I have to admit here in front of you all that my mother was right and I was wrong.
In 2001, an engineer got off a slow-moving train to correctly line a switch. He thought he had set the train’s dynamic braking system but he hadn’t. The unmanned train left its Walbridge, Ohio, rail yard and travelled 66 miles at speeds up to 51 mph with no one at the controls. It was dubbed the “Crazy Eights” train incident, and inspired the movie Unstoppable. Of course, the train in the movie is faster and stronger and the heroes are great-looking.
Unstoppable stars Denzel Washington as veteran Allegheny and West Virginia Railroad engineer Frank Barnes. Chris Pine is the rookie conductor Will Colson. So, it’s one guy’s first day and the other guy is a few days from forced retirement. This part of the set-up is a little cliché, but it doesn’t take long to get over it. Ethan Suplee plays Dewey, the dumbass who lets the train get away. Suplee should stop playing the slack-jawed idiot before it’s an inescapable typecast. Rosario Dawson is the yardmaster Connie Hooper, who’s trying to control things from behind the scenes.
The freight train is led by locomotive #777. Eight of the cars contain a toxic chemical called molten phenol. There are several near-misses by the half-mile long train, including a train full of school children (of course), and Frank and Will’s train. The biggest impending disaster is that the train is headed toward an uphill curve in Stanton, Pennsylvania, where it will definitely derail. If the train derails in Stanton, there will be explosions and casualties galore. Frank and Will devise a plan to stop the train, but it’s highly possible that they’ll die trying.
The antagonist in this film, other than the arrogant vice-president of train operations who has terrible ideas but doesn’t listen to Connie Hooper even though she’s incredibly smart and attractive, is the train that’s barreling out of control. It’s this whole man versus machine thing that builds the tension to a near-pukey level. There’s also a creepy musical score that rivals that of Jaws.
Unstoppable is completely engaging from start to finish. Washington and Pine have the chemistry to carry the film before the tension takes over and Dawson owns the supporting cast. It’s the best action-film-with-no-fight-scenes ever.
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I will admit that I haven’t seen this film, but something about the fact that the plot was “ripped from the headlines” just delights me. Basically, a train n Ohio went rogue, and Hollywood JUMPED ALL OVER THAT SHIT and made it into a balls-out action spectacular.
Never change, Hollywood!
I am just glad that no school children or tons of molten phenol were spilled!
You make this sound super fun, Penni!
Thanks for the replies, guys! I was starting to feel shunned. This movie is way fun. Watch it- you won’t regret it.