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The film was released in the United States and Canada on November 12, 2010, and in the United Kingdom on November 24, 2010. It received mostly favorable reviews from film critics; it garnered a "Certified Fresh" rating on ] based upon aggregated reviews<ref name="RottenTomatoes" /> and a rating of "Generally favorable reviews" at ].<ref name="Metacritic" /> The film was nominated for an ] at the ], but lost to '']''. The film was released in the United States and Canada on November 12, 2010, and in the United Kingdom on November 24, 2010. It received mostly favorable reviews from film critics; it garnered a "Certified Fresh" rating on ] based upon aggregated reviews<ref name="RottenTomatoes" /> and a rating of "Generally favorable reviews" at ].<ref name="Metacritic" /> The film was nominated for an ] at the ], but lost to '']''.


This was the final completed film of Tony Scott's career prior to his death in 2012. This was the final completed film of Tony Scott's career prior to his death in 2012, he died a coward.


==Plot details== ==Plot details==

Revision as of 19:39, 27 August 2012

2010 American film
Unstoppable
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTony Scott
Written byMark Bomback
Produced byJulie Yorn
Tony Scott
Mimi Rogers
Eric McLeod
Alex Young
StarringDenzel Washington
Chris Pine
Rosario Dawson
Lew Temple
Ethan Suplee
Kevin Dunn
T.J. Miller
CinematographyBen Seresin
Edited byChris Lebenzon
Robert Duffy
Music byHarry Gregson-Williams
Production
companies		20th Century Fox
Scott Free Productions
Prospect Park
Millbrook Farm Productions
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • November 12, 2010 (2010-11-12)
Running time98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$85-$95 million
Box office$167,805,466

Unstoppable is a 2010 American action thriller film directed by Tony Scott as his final film, written by Mark Bomback, and starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. The film, loosely based on the real-life CSX 8888 incident, tells the story of a runaway freight train, and the two men (Washington and Pine) who attempt to stop it.

The film was released in the United States and Canada on November 12, 2010, and in the United Kingdom on November 24, 2010. It received mostly favorable reviews from film critics; it garnered a "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based upon aggregated reviews and a rating of "Generally favorable reviews" at Metacritic. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing at the 83rd Academy Awards, but lost to Inception.

This was the final completed film of Tony Scott's career prior to his death in 2012, he died a coward.

Plot details

Veteran Allegheny and West Virginia Railroad (AWVR) engineer Frank Barnes (Denzel Washington) oversees his co-worker, freshly hired conductor Will Colson (Chris Pine) as they use AWVR locomotive #1206 to pick up several train cars outside Stanton, Pennsylvania. Will picks up five cars too many, which they realize only after they have left the train yard. Although Will demands that they roll back and uncouple the extra cars, Frank continues north on the main line with the extras in tow.

Meanwhile, in a rail yard within the northern town of Fuller, two AWVR hostlers, Dewey (Ethan Suplee) and Gilleece (T.J. Miller), are ordered by Fuller operations dispatcher Bunny (Kevin Chapman) to move a freight train led by locomotive #777 (nicknamed "Triple Seven") off its current track to clear the track for an excursion train carrying schoolchildren. Dewey attempts to take shortcuts, instructing Gilleece to leave the hoses for the air brakes disconnected for the short trip. Dewey later leaves the moving cab to throw a misaligned rail switch along the train's path, but is unable to climb back on, as the train's throttle jumps from idle, to full power. The Main Line train-track, which the train is on, later goes through the significantly populated town of Stanton. He is forced to report the train as a "coaster" to Fuller yardmaster Connie Hooper (Rosario Dawson). Connie orders Dewey, Gilleece, and lead welder Ned Oldham (Lew Temple), to intercept the train at a siding. With no sign of the train at the siding, they come to realize that the train's controls have defaulted to full throttle, and it is speeding out of control on the main line.

Connie is able to successfully divert the excursion train to a side track in the nick of time, and then reports the runaway to Oscar Galvin (Kevin Dunn), vice-president of train operations for AWVR. Connie works with local police and sheriff forces to ensure that each grade crossing along the main line is secured. As they evaluate their options, visiting Federal Railroad Administration safety inspector Scott Werner (Kevin Corrigan) alerts them to the hazard that the molten phenol carried by eight of the train's cars poses should it derail. Galvin rejects Connie's suggestion to derail the train in an area of unpopulated farmland before it enters the towns ahead, believing they can stop the train safely before then. 777 enters the farmland, in which it collides with a horse trailer at a railroad crossing literally seconds after the horses and trainer are evacuated. As the train's odyssey becomes a media event, a lashup of two engines driven ahead of the runaway manned by veteran engineer Judd Stewart (David Warshofsky) is used to try to slow down the train being directed by Groundman (Victor Gojcaj) while AWVR employee Ryan Scott (Ryan Ahern) is lowered to 777's cab from a helicopter. The plan goes awry, injuring Ryan, and the lashup locomotives are subsequently derailed and explode, killing Judd. The train continues racing towards Stanton.

Frank and Will are warned of the oncoming train. Due to the extra cars picked up by Will, they are forced to bypass a closer siding in favor of a longer Repair-In-Place track further north on the line. They make it into the track just as the runaway speeds past them, smashing through the rearmost car of their train. Frank sees that the last car of the runaway has an open coupler (not fitted with a FRED). When Frank learns that Galvin is planning to use derailers to stop the train, he asserts that this plan will not work and instead convinces Will to join him as he unhooks 1206 and runs it long hood forward down the line to catch 777 from behind. Galvin threatens to fire Frank and Will if they continue, but Frank reveals that he already was forced into early retirement weeks ago by AWVR. Despite Galvin's demands, Connie and Scott encourage Frank and Will to continue their pursuit.

The police abort a plan of triggering a fuel cutoff switch on the side of 777 with close-range gun blasts at a grade crossing when they realize the switch's proximity to the fuel tank. As Frank foresaw, Galvin's plan to derail the train also fails, as 777 and its cars are too heavy and moving too fast. Fears arise that the runaway will derail on a sharp elevated curve in Stanton and crash into several fuel storage containers nearby, causing a major disaster; the city is evacuated as 777 approaches.

Frank and Will manage to catch up to the runaway, but Will seriously injures his foot while trying to manually couple their engine to the rear car pulled by 777, though he does eventually succeed. Though 1206's dynamic brakes are helping to reduce the speed of 777, the train is still moving too fast for the curve. At Will's suggestion, Frank goes out onto the train and begins engaging each car's handbrakes individually, further helping to reduce the speed. Soon, however, 1206's dynamic brakes blow out, and the runaway 777 begins to pick up speed again, dragging 1206 with it. But with proper timing of 1206's independent air brakes, Will and Frank barely manage to keep the train on the rails as it speeds through the Stanton curve, severely tilting in the process. Though a major disaster is averted, the train is still out of control; Frank is unable to get to 777's cab due to a gap between cars too wide to jump.

With a long stretch of parallel road next to the line, Ned appears in his pickup truck, pacing alongside 1206 to allow Will to jump into the back. Speeding to the front of the runaway, Will makes a successful jump to 777 and brings the runaway to a stop, ending the crisis. Frank, Will, and Ned are celebrated as heroes, and the two reunite with their worried families (who had been watching the news coverage of events from Hooter's and their homes, respectively). As described in a pre-credit montage, Frank was promoted and is now retired with full benefits, Will is expecting a second child with his wife, Connie takes over Galvin's job, Ryan Scott recovered fully from his injuries, and Dewey is now working in the fast food industry.

Cast

  • Denzel Washington as Frank Barnes, a veteran railroad engineer.
  • Chris Pine as Will Colson, a young train conductor.
  • Rosario Dawson as Connie Hooper, a train yardmaster.
  • Lew Temple as Ned Oldham, a railroad lead welder.
  • Ethan Suplee as Dewey, a hostler who accidentally instigates the disaster.
  • Kevin Dunn as Oscar Galvin, vice-president of AWVR train operations.
  • Kevin Corrigan as Scott Werner, an FRA inspector who helps Frank, Will, and Connie.
  • Kevin Chapman as Bunny, a railroad operations dispatcher.
  • T.J. Miller as Gilleece, Dewey's friend, also a hostler.
  • Jessy Schram as Darcy Colson, Will's estranged wife.
  • David Warshofsky as Judd Stewart, a veteran engineer who dies in an attempt to slow the runaway.
  • Victor Gojcaj as Groundman, a railroad ground specialist.
  • Meagan Tandy and Elizabeth Mathis as Maya and Nicole Barnes, Frank's daughters who work as waitresses at Hooters.
  • Ryan Ahern as Ryan Scott, a railway employee and US Marine veteran of the war in Afghanistan who attempts unsuccessfully to board the runaway from a helicopter.
  • Aisha Hinds as Railroad Safety Campaign Coordinator

Production

Unstoppable suffered various production challenges before filming could commence, including casting, schedule, location and budgetary concerns.

In June 2007, 20th Century Fox was in negotiations with Martin Campbell to direct the film, and he was attached as director, until March 2009 when Tony Scott came on board as director. In April, both Denzel Washington and Chris Pine were attached to the project.

The original budget had been trimmed from $107 million down to $100 million, but Fox wanted to further reduce it to the low $90 million range, asking director Scott to cut his salary from $9 million to $6 million and wanting Washington to shave $4 million off his $20 million fee. Washington declined and, although attached since April, formally withdrew from the project in July, citing lost patience with the film's lack of a start date. Fox made a modified offer as enticement, and he returned to the project two weeks later.

Production was headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where the fictional railroad depicted in the movie, the "Allegheny and West Virginia Railroad," is headquartered. Filming took place in a broad area around there including the Ohio cities of Martins Ferry, Bellaire, Mingo Junction, Steubenville and Brewster, and in the Pennsylvania cities of Pittsburgh, Emporium, Milesburg, Tyrone, Julian, Unionville, Port Matilda, Bradford, Monaca, Eldred, Turtlepoint, Port Allegany and Carnegie, and also in Portville and Olean, New York. The Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad's Buffalo Line was used for two months during daylight, while the railroad managed to run its regular freight service at night. The real-life bridge and elevated curve in a climactic scene are located in Bellaire, Ohio. A two-day filming session took place at the Hooters restaurant in Monroeville, Pennsylvania (a Pittsburgh suburb), featuring 10 Hooters Girls from across the United States. Other interior scenes were shot at 31st Street Studios (then known as Mogul Media Studios) on 31st street in Pittsburgh. Filming began on August 31, 2009 for a release on November 12, 2010.

Filming was delayed one day when part of the train accidentally derailed on November 21, 2009.

The locomotives used on the runaway train (unit #777 and trailing unit #767) were GE AC4400CWs leased from the Canadian Pacific Railway. CP #9777 and #9758 played #777 and #767 in the film's early scenes, while CP #9782 and #9751 were given a damaged look for portrayal in the later scenes of the film. It is also interesting to note that while these four locomotives were repainted by Canadian Pacific following the filming, the painted snowplows from the AWVR liveries were left untouched and remain visible. Most of the other locomotives seen in the film, including the chase locomotive (#1206), and the lashup locomotives used in an attempt to stop the train in the film (#7375 and #7346), were EMD SD40-2s leased from the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway. #1206 was played by three different SD40-2s: W&LE #6353 and #6534, as well as a third unit which was bought from scrap and modified for cab shots. #7375 and #7346 were played by W&LE #6352 and #6351, which also played two locomotive "extras" (#5624 and #5580). The excursion train locomotive (#2002) was a Southwestern Pennsylvania Railroad Paducah Built EMD GP11 which had been rebuilt from an EMD GP9. The passenger coaches carrying the schoolchildren were provided by the Orrville Railroad Heritage Society.

Inspiration

Main article: CSX 8888 incident

Unstoppable is inspired by the CSX 8888 incident (also called the "Crazy Eights" unmanned train incident) in 2001. The train, led by CSX Transportation SD40-2 #8888, left its Walbridge, Ohio, rail yard and began a 66-mile (106 km) journey through northwest Ohio with no one at the controls, after the hostler got out of the originally slow-moving train to correctly line a switch, mistakenly believing he had properly set the train's dynamic braking system, much as his counterpart (Dewey) in the film mistakenly believed he had properly set the locomotive's independent brake.

Two of the train's tank cars also contained thousands of gallons of molten phenol, a toxic ingredient of paints and dyes harmful when it is inhaled, ingested, or brought into contact with the skin. Attempts to derail it using a portable derailer failed, and police were unable to shoot out the fuel release valve, instead hitting the fuel cap. For two hours, the train traveled along at speeds up to 51 miles per hour (82 km/h) until the crew of a second train coupled onto the runaway and slowly applied its brakes. Once the runaway was slowed down to a speed of 11 miles per hour, a CSX employee, trainmaster Jon Hosfeld, ran alongside the train and climbed aboard, shutting down the locomotive. The train was stopped just southeast of Kenton, Ohio. No one was seriously injured in the incident.

When the film was released, the Toledo Blade compared the events of the film to the real-life incident. "It's predictably exaggerated and dramatized to make it more entertaining," wrote David Patch, "but close enough to the real thing to support the 'Inspired by True Events' announcement that flashes across the screen at its start." He notes that the dead man switch would probably have worked in real life despite the unconnected brake hoses, unless the locomotive brakes were already applied. The film exaggerates the possible damage the phenol could have caused in a fire, and he found it incredible that the fictional AWVR freely disseminated information such as employees' names and images and the cause of the runaway to the media. In the real instance, he writes, the cause of the runaway was not disclosed until months later when the National Transportation Safety Board released its report, and CSX never made public the name of the engineer whose error let the train slip, nor what disciplinary action it took.

Soundtrack

Main article: Unstoppable (soundtrack)

The film score was composed by Harry Gregson-Williams and the soundtrack album was released on December 7, 2010.

Release

Marketing

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2010)

A trailer was released online on August 6, 2010. The film went on general release November 12, 2010.

Home media

Unstoppable was released on DVD and Blu-ray on February 15, 2011.

Reception

Critical response

Unstoppable has received mostly favorable reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 86% based on 177 reviews, with an average score of 6.9/10. The film is "Certified Fresh", and the critical consensus is: "As fast, loud, and relentless as the train at the center of the story, Unstoppable is perfect popcorn entertainment—and director Tony Scott's best movie in years." Metacritic gives the film a score of 69% based on reviews from 32 critics indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Film critic Roger Ebert rated the film three and a half stars out of four, remarking in his review, "In terms of sheer craftsmanship, this is a superb film." In The New York Times, Manohla Dargis praised the film's visual style, saying that Scott "creates an unexpectedly rich world of chugging, rushing trains slicing across equally beautiful industrial and natural landscapes."

The Globe and Mail, a Toronto newspaper, was more measured. While the movie's action scenes "ha the greasy punch of a three-minute heavy-metal guitar solo", its critic felt the characters were weak. Ultimately, its review called the film "an opportunistic political allegory about an economy that's out of control and industries that are weakened by layoffs, under-staffing and corporate callousness."

Box office

Unstoppable was expected to take in about the same amount of money at the box office as The Taking of Pelham 123, another Tony Scott film involving an out-of-control train starring Denzel Washington. Pelham took in $23.4 million during its opening weekend in the United States and Canada. Unstoppable had a strong opening night on Friday November 12, 2010, coming in ahead of Megamind with a gross of $8.1 million. However Megamind won the weekend earning $30 million to Unstoppable 's $23.9 million. With these results, Unstoppable performed slightly better than The Taking of Pelham 123 did in its opening weekend. As of April 2011, the film had managed to earn $167,805,466 world wide.

Awards

The film was nominated in the category Best Sound Editing at the 83rd Academy Awards.

References

  1. ""Unstoppable": Denzel wrestles runaway train, saves American manhood". Salon.com. Retrieved November 14, 2010.
  2. "Unstoppable – Production Credits". The New York Times. Retrieved November 14, 2010.
  3. ^ "Movie Projector: 'Unstoppable' seeks to derail 'Megamind' as 'Morning Glory' looks dim". Los Angeles Times. November 11, 2010. One person close to the production said "Unstoppable" cost about $100 million after the benefit of tax credits, though another person close to Fox said the final budget was closer to $85 million.
  4. "Unstoppable - Box Office Data, Movie News, Cast Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
  5. ^ "Unstoppable (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved December 09, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ^ "Unstoppable Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2010-12-24.
  7. ^ "Unstoppable Reviews, Ratings, Credits". Metacritic. CBS.
  8. Zeitchik, Steven (June 30, 2009). "Action pic "Unstoppable" hits budget snags". Reuters.com. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  9. ^ Fleming, Michael (July 13, 2009). "Denzel Washington exits 'Unstoppable'". Variety. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  10. Fleming, Michael (June 7, 2007). "Fox dealing with 'Unstoppable' budget". Variety. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  11. Fleming, Michael (March 27, 2009). "Tony Scott boards 'Unstoppable'". Variety. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  12. Fleming, Michael (June 29, 2009). "Fox train thriller just 'Unstoppable'". Variety. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  13. "Denzel Washington Drops Out of Unstoppable?". ComingSoon.com. July 14, 2009. Retrieved August 17, 2009. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Parsons, Ryan (July 23, 2009). "Denzel Washington Unstoppable Again". CanMag.com. Retrieved August 17, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. Fleming, Michael (July 22, 2009). "Washington back on track with Fox". Variety. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  16. Goldstein, Patrick (August 5, 2009). "In the salary tug of war between studios and talent, it's no contest". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Group. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  17. Heldenfels, Rich (November 7, 2010). "Ohio is stunt double". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  18. Vancheri, Barbara (July 24, 2009). "Action flick 'Unstoppable' to film in Pittsburgh". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  19. "Denzel Washington movie call takes job fair tone". Associated Press. August 27, 2009.
  20. Hollywood comes to Olean Friday. WIVB.com. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  21. Zimmermann, Karl (2012). "Where Alcos Tough It Out". Trains. 72 (6). Kalmbach Publishing: 44.
  22. Vancheri, Barbara (November 12, 2010). "'Unstoppable' director Tony Scott loved filming in Pennsylvania". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Block Communications. Retrieved December 09, 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  23. "We Hear: Kevin Chapman, Denzel Washington, Tom Werner & more..." Boston Herald. August 17, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  24. "Train Derails in Bridgeport, Not Part of Movie". Fox News. News Corporation. November 21, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2009.
  25. ^ http://www.myrailfan.com/News/1033/
  26. "'Unstoppable' AWVR decals? - Forums - Model Railroader Magazine - Online Community: Forums and Galleries". Cs.trains.com. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  27. Locher, Paul (November 14, 2010). "Trains featured in movie starring Denzel Washington". The-Daily-Record.com. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
  28. "CSX 8888 – The Final Report". Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  29. Patch, David (November 12, 2010). "Hollywood widens truth gauge in runaway train flick". Toledo Blade. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  30. Rosenberg, Adam (2010-06-08). 'Unstoppable' Trailer Rolling Like An Out-Of-Control Freight Train. MTV Movie Blog. Retrieved 2010-12-21.
  31. Unstoppable (2010). VideoETA. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
  32. Ebert, Roger (November 10, 2010). "Unstoppable". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
  33. Dargis, Manohla (November 11, 2010). "I Think I Can: Trying to Stop a Crazy Train Hurtling to Disaster". The New York Times. p. 2. Retrieved November 14, 2010.
  34. "Unstoppable: Like derivatives trading, this train is out of control". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, Canada: CTVGlobeMedia. November 12, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2010.
  35. "Box office: No. 1 'Megamind' stops 'Unstoppable'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 09, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  36. Gray, Brandon (November 13, 2010). "Friday Report: 'Unstoppable' Squeaks by 'Megamind'". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com.
  37. "Oscar nominations 2011 in full". BBC News. 25 January 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2011.

External links

Films directed by Tony Scott
Feature films
Short films
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