Unstoppable – Blu-ray Review

The Film:

The set-up here could have and should have derailed Unstoppable before it even got going. See if you don’t groan or roll your eyes here: the reason for the train to be unmanned, despite its cargo containing combustible liquids and poisonous gas, is a typical lazy, fat worker (Ethan Suplee) leaves the train to move a lever to switch tracks, for only for the lever to slide into acceleration (naturally) and now he can’t get back on. Sheepishly, he tells his boss (Rosario Dawson) what happened only for her to tell him and his equally as lazy co-worker who forgot to properly connect the brakes, what to do. As they leave, they call her a “ball-buster”. Ugh.

Yet, Unstoppable overcomes this cheesy and poorly written set-up and follows the laid-out track to a fine, if not forgettable guilty pleasure. Director Tony Scott – if we could all agree on something about him for a sec – is he can create pulse-pounding tension, and even with his odd zooms and frantic aerial footage, Unstoppable picks up speed from the middle of the film until its conventional conclusion, much like the runaway train itself. There’s nothing new here. Denzel Washington is his typical self, as he has been in his last few pictures. Chris Pine is good. But even if Unstoppable is just coasting, the combination of Washington, Pine, and the runaway train equals a breezy time. That rhymed.

It’s mindless entertainment from start to finish, but if anything of note, is the subtle look at the once proud American workforce, now eroded by a younger, lazy workforce and a dispassionate company bureaucracies. Cut pensions, being discriminative about age without doing so in a way to get the State after them, and the complete cold shoulder to an employee’s longevity in a company has hurt America in this last decade. Our once proud backbone of the country – blue-collar, hardworking Middle Class – have now just got a boot up their rear end. This interesting dynamic fuels Unstoppable more even with its cheesy dialogue and reactions (like most of the exposition-heavy news casters). It won’t hit the same cord with some as it will with a few, but with a great, fun performance by possibly the film’s scene-stealer in Lew Temple, Unstoppable is a guilty pleasure through and through. Take that however you will.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: Fox offers up their usually strong HD presentation. The near gritty look is transferred well, giving sharp colors and strong details. There’s nary a flaw, unless you don’t like Scott’s camerawork, then that’s a personal thing. Good stuff.  The DTS track is as powerful as the film’s locomotive. Deep bass, constant activity in the rear speakers, the mix is a booming, enjoyable action experience.

Commentary: Tony Scott is usually informative and chatty and that much is true here again. Plenty of good info is given. Most of this will be repeated in the other featurettes, but if this is your choice extra, it’s a good one.

Another track called Tracking the Story: Unstoppable Script Development features Tony Scott again, but with screenwriter Mark Bomback for a very informative, uncensored talk. Give this a spin.

All extras in HD.

The Fastest Track: Unleashing Unstoppable: This 30-minute making of might feel a little EPK, but there’s plenty of good interviews that add some weight to it.

Hanging off the Train: Stunt Work: Here’s a quick, yet informative look at the stunts needed for Denzel’s and Chris’ characters.

On the Rails with the Director and Cast: Tony Scott talks with his stars (Pine, Washington, Dawson) about the film. It’s a little fluffy, but whatever, fans will like it.

Derailed: Anatomy of a Scene: Special effects coordinator John Ziegle and Tony Scott talk about the planning of the train’s derailing. Pretty interesting, since it’s a real stunt.

Trailers, Previews, BD-Live extras, and a second disc for the Digital Copy round out the extras.

The Film: Rating:

The Blu-ray: Rating: