Training Day

I sometimes don't go for the big action movies, but I'd heard some good things about director Tony Scott's latest, Unstoppable, and decided the give it a chance.

On the down side, the movie about a runaway train is quite limited. An "on the rails" pun is just dying to be made here, but it's appropriate. There's really only one way a story like this can end, and any doubts are dispelled by the opening moments that tell you it's all based on a true story. (You'd know more about the incident if it had ended any other way, right?) When the story of the heroes appears to reach a momentary conclusion about halfway into the film, you know it's not the end for them, because they're being played by Denzel Washington and Chris Pine, who aren't just going to waltz out of the movie with 45 minutes to go.

However, if you accept the terms, the movie basically fulfills its contract. It's a fun ride. There are good action sequences, fun characters, nice moments of humor, and lots of thrills. The movie goes about the business of being adventurous intelligently, and gets the job done.

Denzel Washington and Chris Pine make effective leads for the story, with charisma and a good rapport with one another. Also strong is Rosario Dawson, who connects well with them and the action, even though she's almost never at their location.

As fun as the visuals are, though, the real highlight of the film is its soundscape. Composer Harry Gregson-Williams provides a pulsing and exciting score that really drives the action. And then there are the sounds themselves. When your movie is about a train, sound is critically important, and the team behind this movie serves up one speaker-rumbling thrill after another. It would be wrong to say this is the kind of movie that doesn't win any awards, because it certainly would be a worthy contender in the audio categories.

But let's not pretend the movie is any more than it sets out to be -- a visceral ride. I rate it a B- overall, and probably even give it the theater recommendation if you don't have a booming home sound system to watch it on later.