jtindahouse As I was watching 'The 15:17 to Paris' I kept thinking to myself, how could these three actors who I've never seen before, don't seem to have any discernible talent and aren't the best looking chaps in the world (they're not bad, but certainly not movie-star quality) land these lead roles in a Clint Eastwood directed film? It wasn't until after finishing the film and reading up about it that I found out they were the actual people the events the movie is based around had happened to. It's a very bold move on Eastwood's part it has to be said, but it's one I don't think paid off or added any benefit to the film.The biggest problem though is that the film is a bit of mess structurally. Throughout the film we are treated to snippets from the train attack, then it will cut back to the lives of the three lead characters. And this just goes on and on and on until it has taken up about 90% of the runtime. Clearly the actual events on the train were not enough to base a film around and thus they had to add endless filler. It's pretty tacky though it has to be said.The one saving grace the film has however is that the filler is actually really well done and far and away the best element to the film. Being real life best friends they obviously have great charisma. The journey they took on their respective paths was interesting inspiring. I think though ultimately a lot of people are going to be let down by this film because on the surface it appears to be an action thriller set on a train and in reality it is nothing of the sorts.

davideo-2 STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday MorningAs young boys, Spencer (William Jennings), Alek (Bruce Gheiser) and Anthony (Paul-Mikel Williams) were a group of misfits and social outcasts who found a common bond among themselves, and formed an unbreakable friendship. Together, they enlist in the Marine Corps and make it through basic training to go all the way. One day, years later, on a train bound to Paris, that bond would be tested to the ultimate limit when they are forced to thwart a homicidal madman intent on killing everyone.Earlier in the year, there was a big furore over the release of Black Panther, the first black big screen comic book hero movie with mass appeal. It received mostly rave reviews, but some of the negative ones lead to the inevitable cries of racism from some. But what was surprising (also to some!) was the virtual ignoring of this true life depiction of a real black hero (among two white others!) which just so happened to have the misfortune to be directed by a notoriously conservative Hollywood director. All that aside, though, most of the reviews weren't great, and sadly I can now see why, despite this being a story that desperately needed to be told. The event on the train is billed as the highlight of the movie, and certainly provides the main dramatic impetus for its existence. Unfortunately, it merely flecks up in piecemeal flashback scenes here and there, and finds itself drowned out in an overload of backstory. Clint Eastwood seems more interested in exploring what developed these men over the years, and it ends up detracting from the main explosive experience. But what makes it worse is the drama on display is somehow unengaging, and fails to draw you into these characters or make you care about them as people. It was a bizarre decision of Clint's to have the real life characters play themselves in the film, but their obvious lack of acting experience does shine through, making it even more uneven. The unusually short running time is another indicator of the strange lack of depth invested in this most potentially promising of tales. What it sadly is, most tellingly, is an example of the sad decline of a once great director, losing his touch in the winter years. One can only hope Eastwood finds his mojo again and returns to his former glory. **

jmaidment-77858 Skip through 70 minutes to watch true heroism and how these characters became heroes. Incredible story that will make you proud to be an American. But the music, and early scenes of how the guys grew up as trouble makers could have been done much better. The introduction of the girl in Italy who was only around for a few scenes was pointless to the story. I understand it was true and actually happened, by my point is, give her some depth as a character. Strange to make a movie out of an action scene that took about 5 minutes.

allstarrunner Nothing about this movie really stands out except for the fact that it isn't outstanding in any way. The acting isn't terrible - but it certainly isn't good either. Having the real guys play themselves doesn't really bring much to the film. But to be honest, that wasn't what mad the movie sub-par; it was mainly the plot and the fact that they tried to make a full movie out of an event that takes place in maybe 2 minutes in real time. The movie really is about the the lives of the protagonists as they grow up, and quite frankly, it just isn't very interesting! They did an awesome thing at one point in their lives, but the rest of their lives are pretty ho-hum just like everyone else! Doesn't really make for a good movie!