UNSTOPPABLE

US, 2010, 99 minutes, Colour.
Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Ethan Suplee, Kevin Dunn, Kevin Corrigan, Lew Temple.
Directed by Tony Scott.

Once the adrenalin starts to kick in for the audience, the impact of this thriller is unstoppable.

Although they have been around for under two hundred years, trains exercise a frequently mesmerising fascination for so many people. And they have provided any number of films with a wonderful atmosphere for murder mysteries like Murder on the Orient Express, for disappearances like The Lady Vanishes, for trains out of control like Runaway Train and Silver Streak. This is the story of a train out of control – and is based on actual events from Ohio in 2001.

Director Tony Scott and actor Denzel Washington combined for the remake of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. They work together this time to much better effect. The action takes place over a couple of hours. The plot is basic. Slob railway workers take short cuts in security and a train with a large number of carriages, some filled with toxic, flammable materials, takes off on its own, making demands on local controllers as well as the rail corporation’s executives. Meanwhile, a veteran and a rookie take out an engine to haul some goods carriages – and find themselves in harm’s way. They decide to attempt a risky manoeuvre to try to slow down the train and to try to stop it.

Nothing new, but it is always startling.

Scott wastes no time in getting the runaway train going and with realistic styles of camerawork plus a lot of footage from television crews intercut with the rail drama and the characters trying to cope, the pace is quick and constant. It is edge of the seat stuff.

The film gets some drama from what is in the path of the train: a carriage load of school children learning about train travel, a crashed wagon with some frightened horses – and a number of towns that could be contaminated or lit by explosions and, finally, a large city where the train has to go round a curved bend at a slower rail so that it can stay on the track, a bend near a large industrial area.

Denzel Washington gives a confident, laid-back performance, a practical and wise man with 28 years’ experience, who knows what he is talking about and is game enough to test his convictions. He is an ordinary working class hero, the backbone of America, a hero one can believe in. With him is Chris Pine (who successfully commanded the Enterprise as the younger Captain Kirk in the new Star Trek). Pine is a sensible young man who does make mistakes, is ticked off by Denzel but who rises to the occasion. There are some brief aspects of the stories of the two men which offers a little more human interest.

Meanwhile back at headquarters, Rosario Dawson is trying to deal with the unexpected crisis, using common sense, trust in her workers, and not afraid to stand up to the wheeler dealing of the officials.

The film really offers a strong critique of lazy work practices and the petty human reactions that can lead to disaster. It reminds us that there can be dire consequences of pettiness and not taking responsibilities seriously. It is also critical of the powers that be who have one eye on the crisis and the other on the balance sheets.

This is a film which sets out to entertain by telling a story which is exciting and frightening – it could happen. But, like popular entertainment, it also lets us leave the theatre, pleased with and proud of the men and women who do their best to save situations and take risks.
1. An adrenalin-pumping film? Action and entertainment? Audiences identifying with the situation? Characters? The nature of heroism? Ordinary heroes?

2. Audiences and train films? The long succession of train movies, runaway trains? A staple for film entertainment?

3. The film based on a true story, Ohio and 2001? The method of stopping the runaway train by a reverse ending of pulling on it? The possibilities of runaways and this kind of accident? The consequences? The effect of the runaway, the demands for ingenuity in handling the situation? Communications between powers-that-be and those on the ground? The role of the media, information, images? Commentary?

4. The film’s strong stress on human error, human carelessness, petty responses of lazy workers? Responsibility? The consequences?

5. The shift to management, their skills, concerns and priorities, the importance of finance? Galvin, his talking to Connie Hooper, disregarding her, the meetings, the assessment and the financial advisers, the issue of risks, the CEO and his playing golf? Arrogance?

6. Local management and their having to deal with situations? Connie Hooper and her day, coming in with the doughnuts for the schoolchildren, her style, the situation, using her wits, communicating with Galvin, with Frank, shared responsibilities? The staff in her office? Sending out Ned in the car, his staying with the train? The fire department, the police, the helicopter with the marine?

7. The situation with the train, the lazy workers, their slobbish attitudes, eating, delaying, careless with the equipment? Their intending to connect brakes later? The air brakes and the lack of connection? The running after the train, the failure, the lazy worker and his being obese? His watching, having to take responsibility?

8. The introduction to Will, his family, the alienation of his wife, with her son, going to work, his watching the boy with his mother going to school? At work, the jibes about kindergarten and retirement homes, his place in the union, his rail family and connections? Frank, ordinary man, twenty-eight years with the railways, his friends, ready to work?

9. On the rain, the jibes, Will and his mobile phone calls, their hearing about his wife, the judge? Frank ticking him off? Will’s initial mistakes, the extra carriages? Acknowledging the mistakes, the consequences? Having to think of alternative solutions?

10. The runaway train, large, the tanks, the gathering speed, the sidings, the threat to the children and their getting rail instruction, the teachers and the children on the train, going into the siding, watching the speeding train go past? The train and its crash into the television van, the danger with the horses and getting them off the track? The helicopters and their pursuit? The marine, the attempt to slow down the train, for him to land, on the roof, his being bounced about, his injuries?

11. Frank and Will, the situations, the continued conversations with Connie, with Galvin, Challenging Galvin’s expertise and advice, especially about the derailing equipment? Frank and his experience? The decision to reverse the engine? Their chatting, the life stories? The plan, the visuals of the derailment failure? The attempts to link the train, Frank and the brakes, Will and the link, the injury to his foot? Frank on the roof, trying to stop the brakes? The city of Stanton, the threat on the curve? The train going through? Ned and his continued pursuit of the train, getting the police to give him an escort? Getting the vehicle near the train, Will jumping, stopping the train?

12. Ned, his being late for work, Connie asking him to pursue the train, his rebuking of the lazy workers, doing his job, his success, his speech at the end?

13. Will’s story, Darcy and the texting, his rash judgment, her leaving? Her being woken, watching the TV, her going to the station? Watching on the television? The happy reunion? Frank, his widow, the story of his daughters, working in the Hooters café? Their watching the television? Their initial surliness on the phone?

14. The runaway train situation in the light of 21st century disasters, the film being made at the time of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? Disasters and their huge proportions? The consequences, the dangers, human life? The possibilities for resolving situations? Human values? Heroism of ordinary people?