In “Unstoppable,” a competent and quick-thinking Denzel Washington makes some wise-cracks, flashes his winning grin, bestows some wisdom on his troubled young co-worker, played by Chris Pine, and ultimately saves the day. In short, it’s just like every other Denzel movie released in the past five years, bearing especially striking resemblance to “The Taking of Pelham 123,” with one small exception. There’s no villain.

Instead, there’s a foolish railroad worker who accidentally lets an unmanned, half-mile-long freight train roll off without securing the brakes. The train quickly picks up speed, and for the next two hours the viewer gets to watch it barreling through the small towns and countryside of rural Pennsylvania, with Washington, an experienced engineer, and Pine, a rookie conductor in the middle of serious marital issues, on their own train in hot pursuit.

While the ignorant and greedy head of the railroad company makes several unsuccessful attempts to stop the train without taking too much of a financial blow, it ultimately comes down to Washington’s expertise, as he is the only one with enough knowledge of the railroad to know how to stop the runaway.

Considering the only bad guy in this movie is an empty train running away on its own, “Unstoppable” does a pretty good job of keeping the viewer engaged. Washington does what he does best, and Pine gives a good performance as the angry and sarcastic, but ultimately charming, young sidekick.

It might not be a brilliant film, but it’s certainly enjoyable, and not at all a bad way to spend a couple hours.

“Unstoppable” Trailer