Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Unstoppable
2010
**½
Director: Tony Scott
Cast: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Lew Temple, Ethan Suplee, Kevin Dunn, T.J. Miller

A freight train carrying hazardous chemicals accidentally leaves a Pennsylvania rail yard unmanned, and it slowly gathers momentum as it approaches a dangerously sharp curve in a densely populated area. A veteran engine driver and his new partner are determined to avert the disaster. The story pits these hard-working blue collar heroes against the railroad company pen pushers, and the nosey and implausibly informed media hounds. This entire scenario sounds ludicrous, but it's actually based on a real-life incident in Ohio in 2001. Tony Scott's final directorial work moves forward with such irresistible force that it papers over many of the plot contrivances. Whenever the film stops for a second, the clichés hit you like an oncoming freight train.