Stephanie's Friday Movie Pick: Unstoppable

Unstoppable
Release Date: November 12, 2010
Rated PG-13 (Fox)
Starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pine and Rosario Dawson

Summary (Courtesy of Moviefone):

Denzel Washington and Star Trek's Chris Pine star in this action thriller from director Tony Scott. The plot surrounds two locomotive operators who team up to stop a runaway train filled with explosives. Live Free or Die Hard's Mark Bomback provides the script for the 20th Century Fox production, co-starring Rosario Dawson.

Like the rest of the world, I'm anxiously awaiting next week and the sure to be epic Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. I am relying on Unstoppable to tide me over until then. Denzel Washington, Rosario Dawson, and Chris Pine star in this thriller that follows an engineer (Washington) and his newbie conductor (Pine) trying desperately to prevent disaster. The disaster comes in the form of an unmanned train that's carrying toxic chemicals and super combustable materials. The company that owns the train has lost control and its speeding toward a highly populated area.

Who knew movies about trains could be so exciting? Director Tony Scott certainly hasn't lost his touch. I like that this is a kinda true story. Of course, no one was as pretty and the engineer was a white guy, but Denzel is the man. The film has the moral dilemma for Mr. Washington, as he has already been informed that he is being laid off. Should he risk his life for a company that has taken away his livelihood? Of course not! He will to save all the people in the area the train is headed for.

The action propells this film, with the actors doing most of their own stunts on site. That's right, Chris Pine's head really was that close to the ground while he was dangling from a moving train. There's also some very intense dialogue over the radio between the two male leads and the representative for the company whose train they are using in this insane mission. I don't recall seeing this story anywhere before this year, so I look forward to seeing how it all works out in the end.