Review of The 15:17 to Paris (2018) by Thomas D — 19 Feb 2018

The idea Clint Eastwood had to cast the real life heroes as themselves in The 15:17 to paris was a bold one, and likely one that few directors could make without serious pushback. It was an intriguing decision that filled me with more trepidation than it did anticipation. To me, you can't just throw non-actors into a film and expect them to carry the entire feature by themselves.

As it turns out, that trepidation turned out to be fact. The real-life story of Spencer Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, Anthony Sadler, and many brave others is extraordinary. The courage of so many people in a very stressful situation should be commended, but I didn't feel as though Eastwood gave the project his undivided attention this time around. Unlike the brilliantly poignant 'Sully' from 2016, The 15:17 to paris not only suffers from stagnant acting, but the screenplay by Dorothy Blyskal is among the most bland and stiff pieces of writing I've read/heard in years.

Granted, I heard that the 3 main heroes were allowed to change around dialogue to fit their personalities more, which in theory is a great idea, but that doesn't necessarily translate to a feature film. In short, you can't expect a mass audience to understand or go along with the exact tone and delivery of lines you would have around your friends. I know mine wouldn't translate.

The actual train sequence itself is thrilling and is undoubtedly something cinematic and visceral. But Eastwood wasn't able to elevate an entire script around such an exhilarating few minutes. It hurts me to have to rip an important story (and one that should be told), but I have to call it like it is. There's not much to see here, but my appreciation goes out to the real life heroes involved, we need more folks like you around the world.

4.1/10.