In some ways, Unstoppable reminded one of the movie Speed. The narrative was driven by the fact that there was a large out of control vehicle that was endangering the lives of others, and this afforded the director (Jan de Bont in the case of Speed) the opportunity to use quick edits and fast camera movements to build tension and make the action palpable. Unstoppable had these same qualities, but it was missing any and all kind of character development or story arc. Denzel Washington played his part of Frank like he was on autopilot throughout the entire film and Chris Pine was never given a chance to show any kind of acting depth because his character (Will) had only one purpose (he was the new guy on his first day at the job and had to prove himself to the old guy Frank). With Speed, there was not only an out of control bus, but an excellent on-screen dynamic between Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock that kept the audience engaged in the film whereas in Unstoppable, the audience was never shown enough interaction between Frank and Will to get to know and root for them. And for all of the dynamic shots, quick edits and explosions within the film, director Tony Scott was never able to thoroughly captivate the audience and get them to gasp and cringe as the runaway train sped toward its ultimate fate.
In the end Unstoppable was just another loud, dull action thriller that failed to connect.
Grade: D+
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