REVIEW: 'Unstoppable'

High-speed action-thriller from Tony Scott (The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Top Gun), in which an unmanned, mile-long runaway train is on a collision course with a nearby city. Stars Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. Now playing nationwide, click here for movie times & trailer.
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This simple but effective man versus machine blockbuster signals a return to form for director Tony Scott (Top Gun, True Romance and recently: Deja Vu, The Taking of Pelhma 1 2 3).

It takes a little while before it truly hits top gear, but once it does there are plenty of set pieces to get the heart racing. Strangely, these instances are punctuated by scenes dealing heavily in dialogue and exposition, slowing down the momentum built up in the unashamedly kinetic action sequences. The film works well when it contents itself with being a big, goofy blockbuster and much less so when it tries to work in subtext and social allegory. Fortunately, the latter category essentially disappears as the running time progresses. They aren’t replaced with twists or surprises, but this isn’t an edge of your seat type thriller, instead it’s one where you sit back and enjoy the ride of predictable but spectacular genre standards.

Speed on a train is an easy way to summarise it. It delivers intermittently in terms of high-octane thrills and fans of big screen action will get their fill here.

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