Unstoppable
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: November 12, 2010 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 34 Critic Reviews
Positive:
24
Mixed:
9
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternDec 14, 2010
Who knew that Unstoppable would be sensational? Talk about well-kept- and welcome-surprises. Tony Scott's latest thriller turns out to be pure cinema in the classic sense of the term. It's a motion picture about motion, an action symphony that gives new meaning to the notion of a one-track mind. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyDec 14, 2010
The best blue collar action movie in who knows how long, this tense, narrowly focused thriller about a runaway freight train has a lean and pure simplicity to it that is satisfying in and of itself. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranDec 14, 2010
A runaway train drama that never slows down, it fashions familiarity into a virtue and shows why old-school professionalism never goes out of style. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertDec 14, 2010
The photography and sound here are very effective in establishing that a train is an enormously heavy thing, and once in motion wants to continue. We knew that. But Scott all but crushes us with the weight of the juggernaut. We are spellbound. Read full review
85
MovielineStephanie ZacharekDec 14, 2010
The thrill of Tony Scott's Unstoppable, in which a runaway freight train hurtles through rural - and toward not-so-rural - Pennsylvania, is that its setup asks us to believe only in human ineptitude. Read full review
83
Portland OregonianM. E. RussellDec 14, 2010
Director Tony Scott's runaway-train action flick Unstoppable is semi-remarkable for what it doesn't contain. Read full review
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerDec 14, 2010
The real star here is the big, unmanned freight train sparking through Pennsylvania at 70 m.p.h. while carrying hazardous cargo. Best of all, the train doesn't have any dialogue. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzDec 14, 2010
With a movie like this, trying to guess how it ends isn't the point. Enjoying the ride is, and on that front, Unstoppable delivers. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJ.R. JonesDec 14, 2010
Screenwriter Mark Bomback doesn't do much with the backstory scenes linking Pine and Washington to their worried families, but the main story is gripping, flawlessly paced, and nicely grounded in operational detail. Read full review
80
EmpireIan NathanDec 14, 2010
Some days a runaway train movie just hits the spot. Read full review
75
New York PostKyle SmithDec 14, 2010
I wouldn't want to see five movies like this one each week but it's a cheeky, madcap joyride. Read full review
75
Orlando SentinelRoger MooreDec 14, 2010
this is a straight-ahead ticking clock thriller, with the usual Tony S. trademarks - punchy dialogue and men doing what needs to be done. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliDec 14, 2010
a 95-minute thrill ride from director Tony Scott, delivers the right level of adrenaline. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter TraversDec 14, 2010
a bang-up ride that means to wring you out. Mission accomplished. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleAmy BiancolliDec 14, 2010
Once it gets rolling, Unstoppable doesn't pause for breath. Read full review
75
USA TodayScott BowlesDec 14, 2010
Scott paces the film like its mechanized star: deliberately and, ultimately, with enough speed to keep its passengers satisfied. Read full review
75
Washington PostAnn HornadayDec 14, 2010
From the story itself to the way it's told, Unstoppable is a hymn to stylish, unpretentious competence. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy BurrDec 14, 2010
Unstoppable is edited for maximum impact without showboating. The central situation sustains the drama and the way it's filmed, and when that situation is over, so's the movie. More films should be this enjoyably functional. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsDec 14, 2010
The runaway train thriller Unstoppable is one of Tony Scott's better films. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyKeith StaskiewiczDec 14, 2010
The exchange of substance for speed may not appeal to all, but if you're on board you'll find it hard to disembark. Read full review
70
The New York TimesManohla DargisDec 14, 2010
It's the kind of outrageous, excessive flourish that can make Mr. Scott's work so enjoyable in the moment. He doesn't do much, but with a handful of appealing actors in tow, he sure keeps that machine going.
70
Boxoffice MagazinePete HammondDec 14, 2010
Unbeatable entertainment if you want to climb on board for the ride. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubScott TobiasDec 14, 2010
As long as Unstoppable stays on the train, it's queasily effective. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaDec 14, 2010
Scott shoots and edits Unstoppable with roller-coaster momentum and an eye (and ear) on that roaring tonnage of steel. Read full review
60
SalonAndrew O'HehirDec 14, 2010
If a movie can be both exciting and boring at the same time, that movie would be Unstoppable an adrenaline-infused runaway-train flick that perfectly distills director Tony Scott's talents and limitations. Read full review
60
Time OutKeith UhlichDec 14, 2010
Tony Scott almost wins us over with this fun thrill ride. Read full review
60
VarietyPeter DebrugeDec 14, 2010
Given the linear, one-track nature of the plot, Scott and Bomback prove surprisingly effective at delivering a well-rounded experience, going out of their way to fill in the personalities of their two leads. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanDec 14, 2010
It takes a little while to pick up speed, but once Tony Scott's Unstoppable starts moving, it becomes a lean, efficient action flick. Read full review
50
St. Louis Post-DispatchMathew DeKinderDec 14, 2010
This movie is Denzel Washington stopping a speeding train devoid of subtext, blunders and earth-shattering revelations about the human condition. It is precisely as entertaining as it sounds; no more, no less. Read full review
50
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallDec 14, 2010
Unstoppable isn't unwatchable, but it is a letdown after "Speed" and some of the Speed-on-a-(fill in the blank with a vehicle) flicks that followed. Forget missing Hopper; even Keanu Reeves might make this movie more entertaining. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Staff (Not credited)Dec 14, 2010
Though inspired by a real incident, the movie is an opportunistic political allegory about an economy that's out of control and industries that are weakened by layoffs, under-staffing and corporate callousness. Read full review
50
Village VoiceBrian MillerDec 14, 2010
It's like a mashup of classic commercials for Ford pickup trucks, Bud Lite, and Hooters (where, God help us, Frank's daughters are working their way through college). Read full review
50
Miami HeraldRene RodriguezDec 14, 2010
Unstoppable is the slowest, talkiest movie you'll ever see about a runaway freight train loaded with toxic chemicals. Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovDec 14, 2010
It's manic and wearyingly predictable, and as soon as it begins, you know exactly how it's going to end: with a hard, fast crash (and the requisite yakkety epilogue). Read full review
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