The 15:17 to Paris
2 stars
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Alek Skarlatos, Anthony Sadler, Spencer Stone, Ray Corasani
Duration: 203 mins
Class: 12
KRS Releasing Ltd

The terrible state of affairs in the world today dictates that terrorist attacks dominate the news almost on a daily basis. And, the news on August 21, 2015, was no different as the media reported the story of an attempted attack on a train bound from Amsterdam to Paris – an attack that, however, was thankfully thwarted by three young American friends who were on the train, and whose actions in confronting and apprehending the perpetrator saved the lives of all those on board.

It was a story of heroism that was welcomed with relief, some good news in a period of relentless bad ones.

The three men at the centre of the story –  Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone (who, together with fellow passengers Chris Norman and Mark Magoolian, were deservedly feted by the French and American governments) – went on to tell their story in a book they co-wrote with Jeffrey E. Stern. When Clint Eastwood, veteran actor, director, producer, composer et al, presented the trio with an award in 2016, he intimated he wanted to read their book. Which he did, upon which he decided to turn it into a movie and offered the chance to Sadler, Skarlatos and Stone to play themselves (more on which later).

Eastwood’s approach dilutes their daring act of bravery on the train to a mere few minutes

Although Eastwood says it is not a conscious choice of his to tell heroic stories, but that he merely chooses those that interest him, his distinguished body of work features films that often celebrate American heroism.

Look at his 2006 companion films Flags of Our Father and Letters from Iwo Jima about the 1945 Iwo Jima battle during World War II, as an example. Or, 2014’s American Sniper, based on the life of Chris Kyle, a sniper who did four tours in the Iraq War. So, it is easy to see what attracted him to this story and its potential to become a great movie.

And yet, that potential is never fully realised. That these ordinary individuals who did something extraordinary deserve all their praise is indisputable. Yet, Eastwood’s approach dilutes their daring act of bravery on the train to a mere few minutes. Granted, these few minutes go a long way in expertly capturing the chaos, tension, blood, sweat and tears of those few terrifying moments. And they are, by far, the best part of the film.

Yet, the rest of the film is padded out by flashbacks to the boys’ youth, and young adulthood up to the holiday across Europe that got them on the train, scenes which struggle to engage the emotions.

And so, we bear witness to the scrapes they got into at school, the difficulties at home and their carefree playtime together.

As they grow up, their paths diverge. Stone joined the air force, Skarlatos the Oregon National Guard and Sadler was a student at the time of the incident. Yet, they decide to meet up and holiday in Europe together, which of course brought them to the train that fateful day.

These are scenes clearly there to emphasis the binds that tied them together into the solid friendship that undoubtedly contributed in no small part to their actions that day; yet the narrative unfolds in a humdrum manner, and unfortunately the characters are very thinly-sketched.

Moreover, the decision to cast Sadler, Skarlatos and Stone as themselves does not pay off. While they don’t do a terrible job – as expected, having to relive those terrible moments on the train show them as their strongest and most emotional –they are just a little too earnest.

We never truly get to know what makes them tick, or care for them beyond a superficial interest in what they are about to do, leaving us longing to get back to the action on the train.

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