By: Henry J. Fromage (2 Beers)
Director Tony Scott and Denzel Washington have teamed up on four movies in the past decade… most of them mediocre at best. So, when this latest project came down the pipes, I was a big skeptical.
Meh…
A Toast
I was wrong. This movie is awesome. The action starts rolling almost immediately and the stakes keep doubling right up to the nailbiter ending. Tony Scott invests in real character development for once, and Denzel and Chris Pine help him along with good acting and great chemistry. It turns out that when you feel a bond with the characters, the action becomes much more intense. Who would’ve known?
This guy. This guy knew.
The writing is smart and natural, with plenty of small moments of humor to relieve the tension. The cinematography supports the blue-collar mood and tone of the film excellently and the special effects and stunt work are seamless, putting you right into the middle of the action.
Which may be more of a threat than a promise
Beer Two
There are a couple of small things that keep Unstoppable from a perfect score, but take a swallow of brew when they crop up and you’ll likely forget they ever happened. In the end, Tony Scott is still Tony Scott, and he couldn’t resist some of his signature excesses. He’s often been a crackhead editor in the past, and some scenes in Unstoppable do rely on the fast cut a bit too much.
The poster alone induces seizures.
Oh, and he still finds a way to flip a cop car for no discernable reason. You’d have thought that the studio might have called him on that expense… but I guess he’s earned himself a few more in the future.
Verdict
Watch it. This is probably the best thrill ride of the year.
No comments:
Post a Comment