The 15:17 to Paris Plot Summary:
Based on the true story about the three young Americans who helped stop a terrorist attack on a train to Paris in 2015. The film flashes back to their early friendship as kids, and the build up to when they boarded the train.
Holy smokes, this film is amateur hour.
So much of the acting, writing and directing is subpar. This is surprising, coming from a director who’s been in the business for over sixty years. I’ll say this about Clint Eastwood though – despite the missteps, he knew exactly what he wanted to do with this movie. For all its faults, and there are many, the end hits hard, and in that regard, Eastwood succeeds.
This is based on the 2015 Thalys train attack from Amsterdam to Paris, focused specifically on the three Americans who helped take down an armed terrorist. The big hubbub about this movie is that the three Americans (Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler) actually play themselves. I hate that Clint Eastwood is putting me in the position of criticizing these guys, but not surprisingly, the actors who aren’t really actors don’t act very well.
I respect Clint Eastwood for trying something new. As I said, the guy’s been around for over six decades. The man has earned the right to do something a little wonky. Here’s the bottom-line: it doesn’t work. Even a simple scene where two buddies sit down to watch a football game feels forced beyond belief. Their delivery is Room-esque. It’s not their fault though.
Jenna Fischer and Judy Greer play the mothers of Alek and Spencer respectively. Their performances are way over-delivered, and these are seasoned actresses. William Jennings (Spencer), Bryce Gheisar (Alek) and Paul-Mikel Williams (Anthony) play the characters as kids. It’s always challenging when working with kid actors, and while this isn’t Jake Lloyd territory, it’s not far off. This speaks to the “eh” direction by Eastwood, but don’t let the screenplay off the hook either. These poor kids are forced to yell lines like “I tried to fit in!” and “You fit in with me!” Oy vey.
The bad writing and acting combine like a bizarro Captain Planet into pure movie pollution. There are scenes so cringe-worthy, I couldn’t believe I was watching a wide released film. Stone and Sadler visit Venice where they make “I’m hungry as a horse” puns after encountering horse statues. Yup. The pun is bad enough, but it’s made even worse when delivered by an “actor” who doesn’t know what delivery is. That’s a tough line for Will Ferrell to sell.
The dialogue is bad enough, but the scenes themselves barely offer a pulse. We get tantalizing moments such as what flavor gelato will they order. I’m not kidding. There’s literally a scene where they order gelato. It goes through the entire food ordering process, as if you were waiting in line at Starbucks. It’s just them looking at flavors. Then we see in real time the gelato vendor dish out the damn gelato. That’s the scene. What are we doing here, Eastwood?
To be fair, I see the method to his madness. He’s showing you these characters in the most innocent settings possible so that you connect more with them as human beings before the real tension hits the fan. It could work, but the writing, acting and directing is all so banal, it feels like I’m watching a bad found footage movie.
The screenplay offers a few good nuggets. When they get into Stone’s military training, it starts to feel like a movie. Stone is the perpetual loser, despite trying extremely hard, so when his instructor berates him for failing a lesson, you feel that Rocky/underdog trait in the character. It makes the end that much more impactful when Stone becomes the ultimate hero.
While there’s a lot of bad material to trek through, Eastwood brings it home in the end. The train sequence where they detain the attacker is gut-wrenching. It’s as if Eastwood saved all his good direction for one day of filming. Despite all my complaining about the acting, this is where you appreciate the casting. The actors channel something special here. It’s authentic. After the terrorist is contained, the three treat an injured passenger, but it comes off as meandering rather than compelling. This was definitely a missed opportunity.
This film is worth seeing On-Demand or Netflix for the last fifteen minutes. When the three get awarded the French Legion of Honour, you do feel inspired. You want to know more about the real situation, which all “based on a true story” movies should do. That’s why Eastwood is sneaky successful here. Despite all its blunders, I was never bored, and the three actors are at least likable, even if the performances lack.
This was an intriguing experiment that worked for about five minutes, but it was a very good five minutes.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10 (Passable Entertainment)
