27 November,2010 06:48 AM IST | | Bryan Durham
Unstoppable
A; ACTION
Dir: Tony Scott
Cast: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson
Raitng: ''
WHAT'S IT ABOUT: The tension is palpable on any train in motion. More so, when it's set on course for a collision with a densely populated town. That in itselfu00a0 wouldn't be such a feature-length problem, it's just that the freight locomotive in question has hazardous chemicals on board and the brakes are more or less, useless.
The duty of saving the day falls on the shoulders of a rail engineer (Washington) and his apprentice, a former conductor (Pine). Will they be up to it?
WHAT'S HOT: Speeding trains have been the setting for several thrillers but rarely has an unmanned train in itself ever been the villain. Denzel brings a solid sincerity to this role, despite his obvious familiarity with the setting (last film was on a train with the same director). For the most part, the proceedings that follow the beginning of the inadvertent journey of Train 777 areu00a0 believable. But...
WHAT'S NOT: It really doesn't bode well when the director chooses to rely on technique and crash-and-burn scenes to draw the emotions he wants from his audience,u00a0 rather than employ the human element ufffd the actors' performances. And that's so clearly visible.
WHAT TO DO: If you do choose to embark, do realise that it will interest you only as long as you keep believing that the danger is real and present. Which you stop doing sometime during the second half.
