Discover the Real Thrills: Denzel’s ‘Unstoppable’ Adventure

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Denzel Washington kickstarted a significant creative alliance with director Tony Scott in 1995, starring in the blockbuster and critically-acclaimed submarine action thriller “Crimson Tide”. This film catapulted him into box-office stardom. Over the years, they worked together on several projects including the action thriller “Man on Fire” (2004), the science-fiction action film “Déjà Vu” (2006), and the action thriller “The Taking of Pelham 123” (2009). Their collaboration peaked with their fifth project, the disaster action thriller “Unstoppable” (2010), which was Scott’s last feature film before his untimely death in 2012.

In the thrilling movie “Unstoppable,” Denzel Washington portrays Frank Barnes, an experienced Pennsylvania railroad engineer, who teams up with newcomer conductor Will Colson, played by Chris Pine, in a race-against-time scenario to keep a freight train carrying dangerous chemicals from crashing into a populated area. Initially released theatrically, “Unstoppable” was both commercially and critically successful. Over the past decade, it has come to be recognized as a classic within its genre, demonstrating the care taken by director Tony Scott, as well as the daring performances of Washington and Pine, who took significant physical risks to make the film feel genuinely authentic.

‘Unstoppable’ Is Based on a Real-Life Incident

In the movie “Unstoppable,” while it amps up the drama and exaggerates some aspects, as is common with film adaptations of true events, it remains accurate to the key points of its real-life counterpart, the 2001 CSX 8888 incident. This event unfolded when a train carrying hazardous chemicals traveled about 66 miles through northwest Ohio without anyone in control. The incident was set off when the driver left the slow-moving train to rectify a switch issue under the misconception that the braking system had been activated. This scenario is portrayed in “Unstoppable” with a scene featuring railroad yard hostler Dewey, played by Ethan Suplee, who accidentally initiates a runaway freight train by mishandling a switching operation, causing locomotive 777, or Triple 7, to take control.

The CSX 888 train moved at approximately 50 miles per hour for two hours before another team of locomotive operators joined it and applied their brakes, much like the characters Denzel Washington and Chris Pine do in the movie “Unstoppable.” In the film, Denzel Washington’s character, engineer Frank Barnes, and Chris Pine’s character, conductor Will Colson, work together to couple onto the runaway train. Unfortunately, during this process, Colson’s foot was injured. However, unlike in the movie where a railroad engineer dies, no one was seriously hurt or killed in the actual incident.

Denzel Washington Had Seven Stunt Doubles for ‘Unstoppable’

In his action-packed movie roles, Denzel Washington has consistently proven his readiness for physically demanding stunts, such as in the Equalizer series. However, filming the movie Unstoppable posed a unique challenge for Washington because of his acrophobia, or fear of heights. During the production of Unstoppable, there was a seven-day stretch where he had to navigate a moving train, as director Tony Scott preferred to shoot action scenes realistically, without relying on visual effects.

During the movie “Unstoppable”, Denzel Washington is seen performing daring stunts on top of a speeding train. Interestingly, seven different stunt people helped him film these scenes, one for every day of live-train shooting. On the other hand, Chris Pine carried out all exterior train scenes without needing a stunt person. In an interview with blackfilm.com in 2010, Denzel Washington openly admitted his reliance on stuntpeople and playfully voiced his envy towards Pine for performing his own stunts.

Originally, I had seven stunt performers. While going through the script, I found myself thinking, “Why does another person get to play the hero? I want that role for myself.” However, as we progressed with the project, I started to reconsider. “Perhaps it wouldn’t be wise for me to be the one jumping; Chris should be the one.” They were all highly skilled stunt professionals, having worked on Casino Royale. It was evident they knew how to perform jumps. Chris’s determination to do many of his own stunts was frustrating at times. He really was ‘the guy’ in terms of skill and experience, which made me feel like a ‘punk’.

‘Unstoppable’ Nearly Didn’t Get Made

Since Denzel Washington and Tony Scott had a highly productive collaboration before ‘Unstoppable’, it was expected that 20th Century Studios (then known as 20th Century Fox) would be very eager about the film. However, the production of ‘Unstoppable’ almost came to a halt due to the studio’s push for a significant cut in the movie’s budget, which originally stood at approximately $110 million, and salary reductions for both Washington and Scott. When the studio requested a reduction of $4 million from Washington’s usual $20 million per film salary, he temporarily stepped away from the project. He was eventually lured back with a more favorable deal.

Previously, Washington and Scott’s joint project before ‘Unstoppable’, titled ‘The Taking of Pelham 123’, earned around $150 million globally with a production budget surpassing $100 million, despite receiving mixed criticisms. Conversely, ‘Unstoppable’ raked in almost $168 million at the worldwide box office against a lower production cost of $85 million, garnering positive reviews. In his 2010 review of ‘Unstoppable’, Roger Ebert praised the film for its ability to create and sustain tension efficiently within just 98 minutes. According to Ebert, this was an admirable aspect of the movie.

The freight train departs from a sidetrack without an engineer and reaches 70 miles per hour, mirroring the intensity portrayed in Tony Scott’s movie, ‘Unstoppable.’ Just like the accelerating train, the film builds tension gradually before delivering an intense, suspenseful final hour. In terms of skillful filmmaking, it is truly exceptional.

Unstoppable is streaming on Max.

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2025-03-23 17:32