Unstoppable Review (3/5)

Unstoppable promises so much, and certainly by its conclusion you will feel a sense of extreme tension just as the director intended, but the lack of any layered characters or any real substance holds the film back from greatness. As ever, Denzel Washington does wonders in his role as Frank, a train worker nearing retirement whose experience may save countless lives, and Star Trek's Chris Pine gives his best performance since, well, Star Trek as Will, a troubled husband who has just joined up to the train service and must now use his physical strength to prevent a nation wide disaster. That all sounds very exciting, yet it takes a good half an hour before Unstoppable picks up the pace and even then you'll find if you pop out for a cup of tea midway through you won't have missed much. The best part of the flick is easily as the train picks up speed and the train workers face increasingly staggering odds in which to stop it before its chemicals leak, the realism added because of the disturbing fact that the film is based on a true story. Sadly, that knowledge and the excellent dénouement don't compensate for Washington and Pine being the only characters that are heavily developed over the course of the plot. Despite its title, the lack of depth may just make you want to stop watching Unstoppable, but do try and persevere!