directed by Tony Scott
[filmography: Deja Vu (2006), Man On Fire (2004), Enemy of the State (1998), Crimson Tide (1995), True Romance (1993), Days of Thunder (1990), and Top Gun (1986), to name a few]
written by Mark Bomback
[filmography: Race to Witch Mountain (2009), Live Free or Die Hard (2007), and a couple other mediocre movies]
starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pine [Captain Kirk in Star Trek (2009)], Ethan Suplee, Kevin Dunn, and Rosario Dawson
ENJOYMENT: **** (out of 5)
"Really liked it"
Great action flick, not too over the top, and simple--very simple. The two main characters exhibit qualities we've all seen before and can comprehend: misunderstood, young blue-collar meets black version of himself 30 years later. They work as engineers--not the kind with college degrees, mind you, but train engineers. They move freight around the country and get to know each other while another train a couple hundred miles away loses its engineer and starts barreling through towns at 75 miles per hour. The catch: the runaway train is loaded with toxic chemical and headed toward areas that can't take turns at 75 mph. The whole thing sounds perfect for a summer blockbuster lead by young new action star Chris Pine fresh off of Star Trek and veteran Denzel Washington, headed by Tony Scott whose film credits include Top Gun, but for this film, what's different is, it's based on a true story. That part adds an element that makes it harder to scoff at, at least for me, and easier to get really into. I started to really like the characters, especially Rosario Dawson, as the film cracked a few jokes and exploded and entertained for about two hours. I really got into this movie, though it was no The Town (nothing really is). B for effort.
No comments:
Post a Comment