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My Date with Denzel

On Tony Scott's "Unstoppable":

A new guy, Chris Pine, wants to work on the trains. His elder, Denzel Washington, has misgivings.

A train veteran, sizing up Pine: "I don't like feeling like I work at a Pre-K."

And Pine, in return: "I don't like feeling like I work at an old folks' home."

Pine and Denzel go off to do their work, which involves riding a train through Pennsylvania. But, elsewhere, a thug falls asleep on the job, and a rogue rival train gets loose. The rogue train has dangerous chemicals, and if it crashes near a town, the entire town could explode.

It's possible to derail the rogue train in the wilderness, so no lives are lost, but "corporate" doesn't like the plan. Why sacrifice all that money? So corporate hatches a bad alternative response, which of course results in unnecessary deaths, and the rogue train continues to evade "capture."

It's up to Denzel and Chris--frenemies, at best--to track down the rogue train, hitch it to a slow-moving vehicle, and brake, brake, brake, so that order is restored.

This is like a comic book scenario, and, as the NYT observed, the movie sometimes seems designed for a small child. Chugging trains! Blaring sirens! Explosions! Helicopters! Guns! Wild horses--yes, at one point, there are horses!

The depth of the character development? Well, we know Denzel is a salty old guy who really wishes he could repair bonds with his waitress daughters. And Chris Pine really regrets a major fight with his wife.

I'm not sure I'll remember these characters in four or five days, but, yes, I had a great time with "Unstoppable." I gasped. I cried. I actually cried! And I felt I was in the hands of a pro, who didn't want to waste any time. (The movie is around ninety minutes.)

After Tony Scott made "Unstoppable," he killed himself; it's said he had cancer, though this isn't a consistent story. People seem to feel his brother, Ridley, has more talent, mainly because of "Alien." But Tony Scott gave us "Unstoppable" and "Top Gun" -- nothing to sneeze at. And I'm looking forward to "Enemy of the State" and "Crimson Tide," in my near future (the Tony Scott/Gene Hackman dream lineup). You can find "Unstoppable" for free on HBO.
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