THE 15:17 TO PARIS (2018)

The casting in THE 15:17 TO PARIS was inspired. Not just because Tony Hale plays a gym teacher, but also because the 3 leads aren't professional actors. That's a risk, but a good director can make anyone give a competent performance. It's about explaining them how to feel and what to show. The reasons why Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone do a decent job are that they're playing themselves (which isn't very hard) and that they're not required to do a lot of dramatic acting. Clint Eastwood directed and Dorothy Blyskal wrote the scenes to feel naturalistic. Well, at least the flashbacks where they're adults. The flashbacks where they're kids (they're played by different actors (duh!)) were made as a more traditional dramedy, while the present day moments (which focus more on action than acting) were made as a thriller. That's right: This movie about 3 heroes is divided in 3 parts. Individually, they're well-made; together, they feel disconnected. In fact, the title feels deceptive because of how short the scenes on the train are. The movie would've been better if it had been about the train and their tours had only been shown during the first 10 minutes. Oh, and maybe 1 or 2 flashbacks about their childhood and/or their military training during the middle. I guess this event couldn't be stretched to feature film lenght. That's more common than you think. That's why not everything is adapted for the big screen. I also wouldn't have minded if the movie had just been about their personal lives. They, as well as their moms, are presented as very likeable and interesting people.

6/10
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