The 15:17 to Paris (2018)

Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Alek Skarlatos, Anthony Sadler, Spencer Stone

Synopsis:
Three friends touring Europe foil an attempted terrorist attack on a Paris-bound train.

Impressions:
I was mildly interested in this film when I heard that it was Clint Eastwood's latest project and that it would star the actual trio from the incident. This made me think a bit of Act of Valor, which starred actual Navy SEALs. Now, as the incident itself is very brief, most of the film is a flashback, starting with how our gang first met and select episodes leading up to their fateful trip to Europe. This reminded me of The Fighting Sullivans. Like that film, the early part can be a bit heavy-handed and cheesy, but it hits its stride when we get to the Europe trip. I've heard some people criticize the acting ability of Stone, Skarlatos and Sadler, but these aren't professional actors and bearing that in mind, they deliver respectable performances. (Honestly, I've seen much, much worse acting in my day.) I do like how they intercut little clips of the attack to build suspense leading to the event itself. I won't say this is an amazing picture, but it's pretty good, not only as a dramatization of the real-life event but also as a character study. Give it a watch.

Rating:
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