Unstoppable

Producer-director Tony Scott (brother of Ridley) had a successful track record in the action-adventure genre until he unnecessarily and inadequately remade The Taking of Pelham 123 in 2009. It co-starred Denzel Washington, who'd previously worked with Scott on Deja Vu (2006), Man on Fire (2004) and Crimson Tide (1995). They got together again in 2010 to make Unstoppable, an action-adventure set on a runaway train.

Although Scott has often worked with other lead black actors, he and Washington clearly like each other's style. Washington's asking price is reportedly US$20 million, Scott's US$9 million, which means they have to guarantee an exceptional box-office gross to justify themselves. The Fox studio bosses balked at the Unstoppable project costings, setting a budget ceiling of less than US$90 million. Scott gave up a third and Washington shaved an unknown amount, trade gossip said. It can be guessed that both hoped to make up the differences through their production company percentages.

Their movie grossed US$146 million globally at box offices in 2010, with DVD rentals and sales set to boost the total handsomely. The arithmetic was better than for the pair's critically-panned Pelham 123 remake for Columbia.

Unstoppable is a variation on the theme of a race against time by ordinary folks obliged to act as heroes, as in the Die Hard franchise, the two Speed romps, etc ever since the Perils of Pauline included the frantic silent movie maiden being tied to the railroad tracks. Movies in the genre can usually only be judged by commercial standards: does the movie thrill, does it create belief in inevitable and impossible plot developments, does it have its audience sat on the edge of their mental seats?

Mark Bomback was the major writer of the latest (2007) Die Hard action-adventure, and his screenplay does an effective job of transforming the bare bones of a real news story into a Hollywood product. A half-mile-long goods train is accidentally set lose, without its driver and a working brake system. Its cargo includes toxic chemicals whose explosion would destroy a small city. The obstinate railway company's operations director (white male) orders a helicopter drop and a derailing; both fail, and a single engine on the same line is the only hope for salvation.

Its engineer is a black veteran (Washington) with two sassy teenage daughters. Its conductor is a white rookie with a baby and a marital problem; Chris Pine (fresh from his breakthrough in Star Trek) gives the role a grizzly charm, even though the scenario sets up buddy bonds whose triteness, and dependence on wry grins, is a challenge for both actors. To vary the pace and on-screen face, there's a female lead: Rosario Sin City Dawson is the rail operations local manager (black female). Many of the genre's usual suspects also appear in the cast list: nerdy safety inspector, neurotic welder, klutzes, trainload of schoolchildren, horse van, carriage roof jumps and sticky couplings.

The family problems of the two men in the engine, conducted via cellphones, serve to fill out what could be a 20-minute docudrama. Similarly, repetitive shots of rail company machinations and TV newscasts elongate a thin plot (and enable Fox to plug its own news network relentlessly). Naturally, this being a typical American movie, the screenplay is packed with oodles of cringe-making declarations of family love, collegiate joy and personal heroism.

Fortunately, Tony Scott was on good form for this formulaic movie, blending a great range of aerial shots and close-ups to produce the essential edge-of-the-seat tension. Film editing, background music and special effects boost the mood and acceptability of a run-of-the-mill movie that runs faster and better than might be expected.