Review

Review Date: 14-November-10
Spoiler Rating: Low
Juju Judgment: Juicy

Unstoppable (2010)

Unstoppable takes its cue from a near catastrophe that occurred in Ohio in 2001. An unmanned train carrying toxic chemicals barreled along for 70 miles, resisting attempts to stop it, before two railroad workers managed to chase it down. This is the type of real-life heroism that the American public loves and Hollywood loves to exploit. While trains don't pack the same disaster punch as ocean liners (being smaller) or airplanes (being slower and restricted to set courses), Unstoppable uses plot detail, editing, and sound effects to assure the audience that the outcome of the emergency could be really, really bad. The train's locomotive is painted an angry red to hint at diabolical menace as it streaks through towns swarming with innocent onlookers and government officials (and relocated to Pennsylvania for some reason). At the start of its run it encounters a load of schoolchildren and a horse trailer stalled on the tracks. Farther down the line it reaches an S-curve on an elevated trestle above a cluster of fuel tanks. Its wheels screech at every opportunity and its whistle blows even though no one's on board. The effect is slightly silly — you know these obstacles are contrived and the train isn't going as fast as it looks — but such a setup is expected, even required, for the acts of courage to come.

As in all such movies, the heroes aren't merely faced with the crisis at hand. They have personal problems which can best be solved by putting their lives at risk. Unstoppable pairs Denzel Washington and up-and-comer Chris Pine (Star Trek) as natural antagonists destined to become partners. Frank is a veteran railroad employee whom the company wants to cut loose. Will is a rookie whom the company favors since they can pay him less. Each needs to prove himself to the other and to the women in their lives, an estranged wife in Will's case and two daughters in Frank's case, although it's not at all clear what he did to displease them. (The fact that the daughters work at Hooters may be a way of emphasizing the characters' blue collar status … or it may be a way to introduce cleavage into a picture whose central image is phallic.) While the men narrowly avoid a head-on collision with the runaway train and then set off in pursuit of it, a third hero tries to smooth their course from a stationary position. This is a middle manager named Connie (Rosario Dawson) who bridges the gap between the grunt workers she knows and respects and the corporate executives who view the situation in terms of profit and loss. A woman in a man's world, she needs to prove her ability to succeed in business while maintaining her integrity.

The cast was well chosen, as all three stars deliver engaging performances in their complimentary roles. Decent folks deserve to be rewarded as much as disaster begs to be averted. Like its mechanical subject, Unstoppable follows a predictable route. Like its human subjects, it comes through just like it has to.

Copyright © 2010 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.