Unstoppable

On the director's commentary track included with the DVD of Unstoppable, Tony Scott states that other directors always make up some "cock'n'bull" intellectual reason why they make, and are attracted to, certain films. His reason for making Unstoppable: "It was a real page turner." That's fine but, at the risk of bursting his bubble, perhaps other directors aren't making it up when they imply they have a connection to the material, which is why they tend to make better movies. To be fair, he sounds drunk; it's probably the best state of mind to be in while watching a movie about an unmanned runaway train carrying explosives. Think Speed, only without a sense of humour or any appealing lead characters. And instead of a cheesy romance angle, they have Denzel Washington and Chris Pine antagonizing each other about generation gaps, since educated youngsters are clearly out to take the jobs of hardworking, established Americans with practical knowledge. It's tiresome but preferable to Tony Scott's bizarre preoccupation with constant zooms for no discernable reason, occasionally twirling around Rosario Dawson while she sternly tries to manage the train situation from headquarters. There's also the disaster thriller cliché of the undeveloped secondary storyline trajectory that exists merely as a point of peril – in the form of a train filled with schoolchildren that will inevitably be put in danger. If we ever got the slightest inkling that a blasé studio movie like this would go rogue and actually off the kids, there might be something compelling about the moderately kinetic, yet predictable, action. But if you've seen the trailer and haven't been smoking opium in Tibet for the last 30 years, you know exactly how every moment in this ode to male ego in crisis will unfold. On the other hand, perhaps watching something that requires absolutely no investment is ideal for those on the go, doing dishes and chatting on the phone simultaneously. Also included with the DVD are brief supplements on getting the film made and filming the extensive chase scenes.