The Movie Diorama The collaborations between the late Tony Scott and Denzel Washington were not going to set the world on fire. Yet I keep getting drawn back to them. The competence both behind the camera and on screen makes for thrilling films, and Unstoppable is no different. A train is left stupidly on full throttle and is unmanned. Carrying hazardous cargo, two train drivers take it upon themselves to stop this train from potentially killing thousands. It does sound ridiculous, right? You would be correct. Now I'm no train expert but you would think you could remotely stop a train these days? Regardless, I find this to be fun. I can always watch this and not become bored. It's not everyday someone compares a train to a missile, just that alone puts a smile on my face (evidently I'm sadistic). What prevents this from being a mind numbingly boring action flick is the focus on troubled personal lives. Washington and Pine's characters both have difficult times away from work, and its through them discussing this that they actually bond closer. The impending doom as Dawson's sassy yet professional character consistently exclaims "6 minutes!" or "it's just passed milestone 46, you gotta hurry up!" in order to create thrills. Slightly uninspired but it does the trick. All the performances were competent, nothing outstanding but it gets the job done. The different techniques in order to try and halt this train were interesting to say the least. Derailing it, forcing a train ahead of it to try and slow it down, shooting at a tiny switch...some real genius work there...! Scott's direction was fast and frantic which assisted in maintaining the adrenaline, safe to say he did have a unique style which I fully appreciated. Look, you'll either watch Unstoppable thinking "I say, this is absolute tosh!" or you could sit back, relax and just enjoy what's on screen. Please be the latter, because this is a good time and y'know...not every film needs to be extraordinary.

ccman2 While nobody thinks that a movie only covering a few hours out of a day would not be that great, this was really cool. While this movie was based on true events, it really stretched it out a lot more than the true story was. If you like hardcore action, intense suspense, and close calls, this is the movie you've been waiting for. It was really cool.

Arahones The plot is not even that bad, it's a simple low budget Hollywood movie, and probably entertaining enough for it's audience. But where this movie really fails is the most awful camera work in history of movies. Every single shot is either a shaky cam, some quick 'zoom adjust' shot or the godawful camera on that rail. It is supposed to give you the feel of motion, but the dumb camera rail is in 99% of all the shots. Even in the office shots are done with this setup. Aargh, Tony Scott, for the love of god, why? As if you are watching a movie from a marry-go-round. Just, plain, awful.. A 3 out of 10 is generous, out of respect for the actors.

Nicole C Though this film has a pretty simple and straightforward story, it is still exciting to watch. It does well in establishing the normality of the lives of these railway workers and the rhythm that they work in. Scott does well in setting the tone of the film early on, and with the music accompaniment, the tension slowly rises. Pine and Washington are good in their roles, and work well together. Perhaps it is because their characters do not get along well, which may be easier to portray. Anyway, their delivery and chemistry with each other fit the film. Dawson does well in roles with a sense of urgency to them. I vaguely remember her being an FBI agent somewhere else, and with this character, she is able to portray how intense a situation they're in. I especially liked the cinematography and editing in this movie. With a high speed train moving through various landscapes, the numerous wide angle and aerial shots give a good view of the surroundings. The quick jump cuts, and juxtapositions between the various characters on screen also helps to keep the audience well informed.One thing that I felt was a bit forced, was the family angle. I guess being characters, the filmmakers felt that they needed to incorporate family values, so put that in there. I didn't care much for the drama of Pine's life though. I was intrigued a little at what may have happened, but Pine's character didn't really fit the drama. Overall, quite an exciting but simple film.