Uneven drama recounting the circumstances that led up to
the thwarting, in August 2015, of a terrorist attack and potential massacre on
the train of the title. Traveling from Amsterdam to the French capital as
tourists, a trio of Americans (Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone
all portraying themselves), two of them with military backgrounds, courageously
stop a heavily armed jihadist bent on a shooting spree among the captive
passengers. The portion of director Clint Eastwood's film devoted to this
headline grabbing incident is taut and compelling. But, in adapting the three
friends' book about their exploit and their lives before it, written with
Jeffrey E. Stern, screenwriter Dorothy Blyskal fails to evoke much interest in
the lads' humdrum childhoods and fitful careers. More honorable than entertaining,
their faith-friendly story does emphasize self-sacrificing heroism and the
potential of ordinary people to achieve great things.
Watch out for: Gunplay and
nonlethal violence, a sequence involving gory wounds, a bit of sexual humor, a
couple of uses of profanity and a pair of milder oaths, numerous crude and
crass terms.
Rated: A-III, adults; MPAA:
PG-13
© Arlington Catholic Herald 2018