Any time Tony Scott and Denzel Washington team up on a film, moviegoers can count on blockbuster-scale action sequences, serious acting and a thrilling plot. Their latest effort, and fourth film together overall, is “Unstoppable,” and with “Star Trek” star Chris Pine thrown into the mix, the film has all the makings of a box-office hit when it opens on November 12.
The story, which is loosely based on real events, revolves around seasoned train engineer Frank Barnes (Washington) and newly hired operator Will Colson (Pine). While out doing a training run, they hear a warning of an out-of-control train full of hazardous chemicals careening down the rails on a path toward massive destruction. Barnes and Colson set out on a suicide mission to stop the train before it’s too late.
When MTV News caught up with Pine, we talked about the technicalities and dangers of train operation, his out-of-body experience during his first meeting with Scott and Washington, and the inevitable “Speed” comparisons.
MTV: What kind of training did you get with regard to operating actual trains?
Chris Pine: There’s a little railroad yard in L.A. that — essentially there are different classes of railroad, and this is, I think, maybe a third-level railroad. So we went to that yard and got a chance to hop on the trains, learn what it was like to be in the cab, and what all the various assorted technical jargon was all about. It was a lot of fun. It was like being a kid.
