Mr. Movie review: ‘The 15:17 to Paris’ is slow but arrives on time

‘The 15:17 to Paris’

Clint Eastwood’s movie-making career has taken an interesting twist. Known for doing slam-bang action flicks and mind-boggling, intense thrillers like award winners Mystic River and Unforgiven, Eastwood has settled into a new comfort zone. Apparently finding fact much more interesting than fiction, Eastwood has lately focused more on what happens to real people. Six of his last seven movies have been biopics: Sully, American Sniper, Jersey Boys, J.Edgar, Invictus and now The 15:17 to Paris.

He’s become as much a biographer as a filmmaker.

Eastwood is also known for taking risks. The casting of The 15:17 to Paris may be his most impressive risk of all. It’s about three U.S. citizens and boyhood friends — two of them soldiers — who stopped a terrorist on a train bound for Paris. The guy had over 300 rounds of ammunition on him and if not stopped would have killed hundreds.

The three men — Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler — got high honors and awards from the French government and accolades from the U.S. government and President Obama in particular. They also became famous worldwide.

While casting his film, Eastwood decided to take a gamble and cast the three guys to play themselves in the movie based their lives and the terrorist incident. It pays off, but it doesn’t. All three have expressed interest in becoming professional actors in the future, but in 15:17 it’s obvious they’re not pros. Some scenes work, but others are a bit awkward.

First timer Dorothy Blyskal’s badly written script doesn’t help the three novices. Trite dialogue and too much focus on their ordinary lives and fill-for-length scenes slow Eastwood’s movie to a crawl. The early scenes with kid actors playing the three men — who’ve known each other since childhood — work. Not much else does.

Most of the film’s focus is Stone, and some of his experiences are pretty funny. Stone is convinced he was born to do something important. What he and his friends did on that train that August day certainly fits his conviction.

That leads to where Eastwood’s movie works best. The drama on the train and the real-life footage — of the award ceremony in France and the accolades received in the U.S. and around the world — spliced into the narrative turn a fairly dull biography into one that makes you want to stand and salute.

The other reason the film finally works? Eastwood — true to his style — doesn’t dilly dally. His movie is short and to the point, and what really matters to the story arrives right on time.

This story was originally published February 8, 2018 at 1:01 PM with the headline "Mr. Movie review: ‘The 15:17 to Paris’ is slow but arrives on time."