Review: The 15:17 To Paris Fails On A Fundamental Level
- Feb 8, 2018
- 2 min read
Some true stories cry out to be adapted into film. They're filled with acts of heroism, insurmountable odds and exciting stories, all the things that make good cinema. Others just aren't worth it.
August 2015. A terrorist boards a train from Brussels to Paris carrying a kalashnicov and more than 300 rounds of ammunition. He intends to kill and he's prepared to do so. What he's not prepared for is three young Americans backpacking around Europe.
15:17 made its gimmick apparent in the first trailer, the three leads were to be played by the people who were there, Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler. It wasn't the first movie to do it, and it likely won't be the last, but with Clint Eastwood directing and a supporting cast consisting of Jenna Fischer, Judy Greer, Thomas Lennon, Tony Hale and Jaleel White, I had hoped it would be different. It wasn't.
When your film hinges entirely on the performance of three non-actors who act only by the definition of the word, then your film with fail. Even the child actors representing the young heroes are terrible, and it doesn't help that all the flashback scenes add nothing to the story. Add in some truly cringe-worthy writing, a standout being a 12 year old boy declaring that, "There's something about war, the brotherhood of it", that makes it all feel like more of a Pro-America propaganda piece than a wanting to tell an interesting story.
When a real actors has a 5 lines that are more interesting than every line and every action of your leads, you have a problem. I have nothing against the real people here, and what they did deserves the commendations they received, but the act and their lives beforehand aren't film worthy, and neither are they. Give it a miss.
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