December 1, 2010
This is a perfect cinematic example of outstandingly good plain cooking as opposed to divinely esoteric haute cuisine. It's not unique, original, or even that creative, but oh-my-god it's breathtakingly good. Director Tony (Top Gun) Scott knows a thing or two about getting an audience hooked into a story, and this thunders along with adrenalin-charged momentum from pretty much the opening few minutes.
In an all-too believable scenario, there's no chortling bad-guy orchestrating this disaster, just a lazy bloke cutting corners, with the result that a half-mile long train loaded with toxic chemicals is sent accelerating towards certain derailment in a densely populated area with no functioning brakes.
Of course it is Hollywood to its back teeth - 'inspired by' as they say, real events. You can bet that the real-life Will Colson and Connie Hooper did not look like Chris Pine and Rosario Dawson, but personally I'm not complaining. Dramatically it is workaday and uncomplex, pitting Chris Pine's newly qualified engineer against wonderful Denzel Washington's grizzled veteran; under the stress of trying not to be killed themselves and then trying to avert a catastrophic collision, they build their own little bro-mance, earning one another's respect and grudging liking.
The writing was good, and both male leads were superb, investing their rather basic characters with edge and feeling, which did help to ground what could have been a simple testosterone-fest. We were on the edge of our seats with our knuckles stuffed into our mouths for most of this movie. Definitely a must-see.
In an all-too believable scenario, there's no chortling bad-guy orchestrating this disaster, just a lazy bloke cutting corners, with the result that a half-mile long train loaded with toxic chemicals is sent accelerating towards certain derailment in a densely populated area with no functioning brakes.
Of course it is Hollywood to its back teeth - 'inspired by' as they say, real events. You can bet that the real-life Will Colson and Connie Hooper did not look like Chris Pine and Rosario Dawson, but personally I'm not complaining. Dramatically it is workaday and uncomplex, pitting Chris Pine's newly qualified engineer against wonderful Denzel Washington's grizzled veteran; under the stress of trying not to be killed themselves and then trying to avert a catastrophic collision, they build their own little bro-mance, earning one another's respect and grudging liking.
The writing was good, and both male leads were superb, investing their rather basic characters with edge and feeling, which did help to ground what could have been a simple testosterone-fest. We were on the edge of our seats with our knuckles stuffed into our mouths for most of this movie. Definitely a must-see.
