Unstoppable marked the final movie in the creative partnership between actor Denzel Washington and director Tony Scott, with the 2010 film making up for their disappointing previous remake together. Washington has developed several long-running partnerships with directors, most notably his many collaborations with Spike Lee, as well as his work with Antoine Fuqua. Like with those two directors, Washington ended up working with Scott on five films, producing some of the best of Denzel Washington’s movies, including Man on Fire.
Sadly, Scott died in 2012, with his final movie also marking the last time he worked with Washington. Unstoppable is an action thriller starring Washington and Chris Pine as two train conductors who must stop a runaway train heading towards a nearby town. Though there is a bittersweetness behind the movie now, Unstoppable thankfully ended their creative relationship on a positive note. That could have been very different, as their previous film together ended up being their worst.
The Taking Of Pelham 123 Was Followed By The Much More Entertaining Unstoppable
Scott And Washington’s Second Train Movie In A Row Was A Winner
The Taking of Pelham 123 was set up to be the next great collaboration between Denzel Washington and Tony Scott. It followed Washington’s recent trend of remakes, including Man on Fire and The Manchurian Candidate, retelling the beloved cult crime movie of the same name from 1974. The Taking of Pelham 123 starred John Travolta as a ruthless criminal leading a band of armed men who take control of a New York City subway car, taking the pᴀssengers as hostages. Washington plays the dispatcher who reluctantly becomes the negotiator of the high-stakes situation.
Every Denzel Washington And Tony Scott Movie
|
Movie |
Washington’s Role |
|---|---|
|
Crimson Tide (1995)
|
Ronald “Ron” Hunter
|
|
Man On Fire (2004)
|
John W. Creasy |
|
Déjà Vu (2006)
|
Doug Carlin |
|
The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)
|
Walter Garber |
|
Unstoppable (2010) |
Frank Barnes |
The problem with the remake of The Taking of Pelham 123 is that it failed to recognize what made the first movie great. The 1974 tells a gripping crime story with real stakes and danger, but also uses the personality of New York City to make a surprisingly funny movie. The remake has little to no humor to be found, with Travolta’s villain the only eccentric character, which ends up being the opposite of Robert Shaw’s menacingly calm performance in the original movie. Washington’s morally gray hero looking for redemption is also a downgrade from Walter Matthau’s hilarious, grumpy performance.
Ironically, Unstoppable was closer to the winning tone of the original The Taking of Pelham 123, a perfect mix of humor and thrills.
The Taking of Pelham 123 received a mixed critical response and decent box office, but it felt like an uninspired offering from Washington and Scott. That made it all the more surprising when they quickly decided to team up for another train movie the following year with Unstoppable. Unlike The Taking of Pelham 123, Unstoppable knew how to have fun with its over-the-top premise, not taking itself too seriously, and giving Washington a fun hero to play. Ironically, Unstoppable was closer to the winning tone of the original The Taking of Pelham 123, a perfect mix of humor and thrills.
Unstoppable Serves As A Great Final Movie In Tony Scott’s Career
Quentin Tarantino Called Unstoppable One Of Scott’s Best Movies
Although it was unknown at the time that Unstoppable would be Tony Scott’s final film, the hugely entertaining thriller made for a fitting end to his remarkable career. Scott was a director who was not afraid to switch things up with the genres he tackled while also maintaining his signature style. Unstoppable was one final showcase of him as one of the great modern action directors with some of the most exciting sequences of his career.
From swooping helicopters to the train crashing through barriers to people running on top of the speeding locomotive, Scott’s practical approach makes it all the more exciting.
The runaway train storyline made for an ideal Tony Scott set up, as his movies are typically propulsive thrill rides from beginning to end. Unstoppable wastes little time getting things moving and doesn’t overstay its welcome, simply seeking to deliver a great popcorn movie to audiences. However, it is also impressive that Scott does so without the aid of much CGI. From swooping helicopters to the train crashing through barriers to people running on top of the speeding locomotive, Scott’s practical approach makes it all the more exciting.
Quentin Tarantino, who collaborated with Scott on True Romance, praised Unstoppable both as a movie and as a final note from Scott (via The Playlist):
“And when I saw it, it just blew me away so much. Both the combination of just the movie that’s on the screen, the movie that is there, and the idea that it’s one of the last great movies from one of the last great directors of all time, at the height of his powers, doing what he does…It was my #10 of my top 10 of the decade. And frankly, now after watching it again for this [podcast], it should be higher.”
Scott’s career is filled with great movies, including Top Gun and Days of Thunder, and while many fans wouldn’t quite put Unstoppable as the best of his career, there are not too many directors who manage to deliver such a great movie as the final one in their career.
