Connie thinks fast and sends an experienced trouble shooter to follow alongside the train on the access road in his huge red pickup truck and blonde ponytail. He along with Frank and Will try to save the day by stopping the unstoppable.
These two for the railroad go rogue by disobeying the top brass and the operations manager in favor of their own plan. They take what they believe is the best shot at stopping Triple 7, which entails catching up to it, by driving in reverse, butting up the rear of 777, and then pulling it in reverse. Frank’s 2606 engine is sturdy but aging, and you get a sense something will go wrong. When it does both men must improvise with just seconds to save themselves and the town.
En route to their rendezvous with triple 7 the two men share stories about their lives. Frank’s wife has died of cancer and he is raising two teen age daughters who wait tables at Hooters, while his conductor is on the verge of separation or worse a divorce. Frank encourages him to just keep calling his wife.
I loved this action thriller from director Tony Scott who has teamed up with Washington before in Man on Fire and The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. Scott’s action brand rises and weaves the water like a surfer riding the biggest wave in Hawaii, and in this film he does it with genuine humor, pathos and a few surprises from real people—some who do their jobs, some who don’t, and some who are forced into unbelievable heroism simply because there is no other choice.
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