If you feel like you've seen a Tony Scott movie about a train starring Denzel Washington before, you're not wrong. In 2009 the director and star made their forth film together, "The Taking of Pelham 1, 2, 3," which was about a subway train that has been taken hostage and it was up to Denzel to save the day. The duo's latest film, "Unstoppable," their fifth together, is about a runaway train that must be stopped and it is once again up to Denzel to save the day. While "Pelham" was a remake of the '70s classic, Unstoppable is based on a true-story and is for the most part a very exciting and exhilarating action film. The movie is a little slow in the beginning, but much like a train itself, picks up speed eventually and doesn't let down till the very end. The movie's only flaw might come from the ridiculousness of some of its events. But that is not the filmmaker's fault as the movie is based on a true story, therefore no matter how unbelievable it might be, its what actually happened!

One of the best aspects of the film is the chemistry between actors Chris Pine and Denzel Washington. Washington fills his role as the weathered veteran perfectly and Pine, in contrast, is equally good as the young, cocky upstart. Tony Scott directs the action well and moves the story along as quickly as he can. The director's signature mark is on every shot of the film and helps tie the action scenes together. Rosaria Dawson appears in the movie and gives a mature and authentic performance as the frantic train dispatcher. But the true star of the film is the action and the emotional story that begins to build. Because Washington and Pine are so damn likable you can't help but root for their characters and want to see them survive. At a certain point the film becomes less about stopping the train and more about, will these men be able to survive? The human drama that drives the film comes from watching these men selflessly try to save the day.

The film begins by introducing us to our two main characters, Frank Barnes (Washington) and Will Colson (Chris Pine). Frank is a veteran railroad engineer who was recently cut from his job and only has a few weeks left to go. Will is a new train conductor who only got his job because his family has worked for the company for decades. When Will and Frank are introduced, as you can imagine, they are not exactly friendly to each other. Frank feels that it is guys like Will, which are pushing him and his buddies out of work. Frank is a widow with two adult daughters that he has a hard time connecting to. Through a misunderstanding with his wife, Will has lost custody of his child and is fighting his wife in court, which is affecting his work. Meanwhile, at another train yard in Pennsylvania, a bumbling engineer played by Ethan Suplee accidentally lets loose an unmanned freight train, which is half a mile long and carrying enough dangerous materials to destroy a whole city. He tires to stop the runaway train before it gets too far away but is unable to succeed. He alerts his train dispatcher, Connie played by Rosario Dawson and she warns her boss, Galvin (Kevin Dunn) that the runaway train is like "a missile the size of the Chrysler building" and that it must be stopped before it destroys a populated area. Galvin is unsympathetic to the situation and orders Connie to just "fix it."

While this is going on, Frank and Will are getting to know each other, unaware of what is happening. Once they do find out what is going on they are ordered to pull off the track because they are headed directly towards the unmanned locomotive. But the way their dispatcher wants them to do it will get them killed, according to Frank. Will disagrees and thinks Frank is crazy for wanting to continue but eventually decides to trust him. Running out of options Connie realizes that Frank and Will may be her last hope at stopping the train before it gets to a deadly turn, which it won't make and will destroy the city for sure. Frank devises a plan to stop the train by catching up to it backwards and latching onto it in order to slow it down. Against the better judgment of Galvin, Frank decides to go through with his plan along with Will's help. But when things don't go as expected, and Will is hurt, they quickly begin to improvise. Now that they are approaching the turn, Frank must walk on top of the moving train in order to prevent it from going off the tracks. With the whole world watching, including their families, it is up to Frank and Will to summon the courage to be true heroes and stop the train before it is too late.

While the action in the movie is exciting and explosive, the film works because you care about the characters. Pine and Washington are great together, especially in the tense and human moments they share together on the train. Because we have a chance to learn about the characters before the disaster, we care more about their survival later in the film. Tony Scott's camerawork is gorgeous as always and lends a realistic, documentary feel to the picture. The visual effects are spectacular and yet appropriate at the same time. The score by Harry Gregson-Williams helps drive both the dramatic scenes and the action moments with a sense a purpose. The editing is sharp and quick like most Scott films and it works especially well in this movie. Writer Mark Bomback did the best he could to make this true, yet unrealistic story, believable. The irony being that this is based on a true story but as they say, life is stranger than fiction. Despite starting off slow, the movie really takes off when the human drama and the action both collide. Washington is truly one of our finest actors and delivers another unique and fully rounded performance. Pine holds his own against the two-time Oscar winner and proves that he is more than just Captain Kirk. In the end, Unstoppable is a fun and exciting, rollercoaster ride of suspense that will have you on the edge of your seat!