Everyone in Unstoppable is stupid

Unstoppable

‘Don't get sentimental on me, makes me think I'm gonna die’ – Frank

When deciding what movie to watch I stumbled upon action movie Unstoppable (2010). I decided to watch it because I assumed it would be about a train that would run out of track, and intended to add the film to my growing list of movies that suggest Los Angeles needs to finished their motorways.  

Not only is Unstoppable not set in LA but the problem is they have a vast lengths train tracks and not enough time to stop a runaway train carrying mass amounts of organic compound, Phenol. So, newly acquainted veteran and rookie pair of train engineers, Frank Barnes and Will Colson (Denzel Washington and Chris Pine) take it upon themselves to stop it.

My main thought throughout the film was ‘How could everyone be so stupid?’

• How could Dewey, the train driver, be so stupid as to not put the independent brake on and create a potentially destructive situation?
• How could Oscar Galvin think it is a good idea to helicopter in someone on top a moving dangerous train when trying to combat the situation?

These are only two of the multitude of questions that crossed my mind during the 98 minute action film.

Beyond believing he was just stupid; I was more than convinced by the portrayal of Kevin Dunn as power hungry train operations vice-president, Galvin. He gave me multiple reasons to add him the growing list of stupid people in the film as he put the desire to save money and ascend in the company, over the lives of hundreds. His stupidity is made more irritating when learning that the film is loosely based on a similar incident that occurred in 2001.

He acts a long side an ensemble of somewhat well-known actors, the most high profile of which being Denzel Washington, who offers his usual level headed and realistic performance as Barnes. This contrasts Colson’s pig-headed persona that resulted in him being separated, against his will, from his family.

Despite his heroic stunt, Colson’s pervious behaviour is never redeemed in my eyes and he stays firm on my list of stupid characters because he doesn’t listen to reason. I question if this enough to get his family back because it doesn’t undo or show changes in his once aggressive behaviour.  

Colson’s and Barnes’ struggling home lives made the film more than just about a train about also the lengths you would go to for those you consider family.

As much as the many stupid incidents in the film bothered me, like the police shooting at a moving nano target which was surrounded by a flammable chemical, they did undoubtedly help to push Unstoppable into the thriller genre. 

Every time they seemed to be closer to safety it went drastically wrong and the threat of the train became so much higher. With each time, the efforts made to stop the train gradually became more daring and dangerous.

The more uncontrollable the train got the more captivating Unstoppable became. Although stupidity never outweighed courage, the adrenaline rush with every new effort definitely did.