MR

Based on a true story...

Please, don't be shy.........what are your thoughts....?

TRAGChick wrote:Based on a true story...

Please, don't be shy.........what are your thoughts....?

based on a true story is pushing things a bit. It's been heavily Hollywood-ized. The days of The Train (with Burt Lancaster) and Emperor of the North (with Lee Marvin), which were both slaves to doing things right in terms of railroad movies are long gone. btw, both of the above-mentioned movies are VERY good, and well worth a watch if you can find them.

Here is the real story that the Unstoppable movie was VERY loosely based on.
http://hobbymeister.tripod.com/ttz/csxrunawaytrain.html

It's entertaining and all (and I doubt anyone who sees it will be bored), but I couldn't help laughing at the wheelie sequence in the climax. Per interviews, that really is Denzel Washington on top of the train towards the end. Frankly, I'm surprised the insurance would let him do that.

Don't expect a strict adherence to detail--it IS Hollywood. Same with 99% of the railroad movies that have been made (minus the above two), and probably the same for most everything else they delve into.

Not very authentic. LOL, they call the train in question as having a million tons on her...LOL, a mile long train is about 14,000 tons. I saw this and it is indeed sensationalized. Not very realistic at all, however, I have known a few stories where a train has run down another runaway and stopped it.

This puts railroading in a bad light truth be told. it is still by far the safest way to travel.