Unstoppable

This suspenseful thriller begins on an October morning in a railroad yard in Wilkins, PA, where a locomotive towing 39 cars loaded with 30,000 gallons of toxic chemicals needs to be moved to a different track. All hell breaks loose when Dewey (Ethan Suplee), a slovenly and incompetent operator, neglects to secure the brakes, accidentally launching a “coaster” that creates a crisis for experienced traffic controller Connie (Rosario Dawson) and corporate exec Galvin (Kevin Dunn), who are warned that if they derail the runaway train, negative publicity will lead to depreciated stock value. Meanwhile, 200 miles away, veteran engineer Frank Barnes (Denzel Washington) is training rookie Will Colson (Chris Pine), and the pair are heading directly towards the racing train, which happens to be on a collision course endangering 150 schoolchildren on a field trip. Based on a true 2001 incident in Ohio in which a train carrying hazardous material traveled 66 miles without a crew, the plot's been jazzed up with career motivations and marital back stories for Barnes and Colson, while director Tony Scott's credible camerawork evokes memories of Andrei Konchalovsky's 1985 Runaway Train. A spell-binding thrill ride, this is recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include two audio commentaries (one with director Tony Scott; the other with Scott and writer Mark Bomback) “The Fastest Track: Unleashing Unstoppable” behind-the-scenes featurette (30 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are the production featurettes “Hanging Off the Train: Stunt Work” (15 min.), “On the Rails with the Director and Cast” (14 min.), and “Derailed: Anatomy of a Scene” (10 min.), the BD-Live function, and a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a solid popcorn flick.] (S. Granger)