scrobble.life
← All reviews
Movie75

The 15:17 to Paris - Movie Review

Review by @erikah · 6d · of The 15:17 to Paris · 2 views

This is an unusual movie for so many reasons. It was a huge surprise for me as when I started watching, I didn't know a lot of details, facts about it and learning about them made it more valuable.

The 1517 to Paris.jpg source

In the early evening of August 21, 2015, the world watched in stunned silence as the media reported a thwarted terrorist attack on Thalys train #9364 bound for Paris, an attempt prevented by three courageous young Americans traveling through Europe. This movie follows the course of the friends' lives, from the struggles of childhood through finding their footing in life, to the series of unlikely events leading up to the attack. Throughout the harrowing ordeal, their friendship never wavers, making it their greatest weapon and allowing them to save the lives of the more than five hundred passengers on-board. source

It starts at the very beginning and honestly, if you don't know where the story wants to go, it may seem a little boring and makes you wonder why they wanted to start from the main characters' childhood and why it is important, but let's take it step by step.

It is directed by Clint Eastwood, a respected name in the industry and it tells you a lot just by seeing his name on the list. The movie is a mix, if I can say that, a good part is a documentary with real life footage at the end and the rest is created based on the three main characters' life story. Knowing this, you can imagine the screenwriters were tied to a script written by life as you have to stick to the facts given, so I suppose there wasn't much space left to maneuver.

The-15-17-to-Paris.webp source

The reason why the movie seems a bit boring is because the action, that basically means everything, is at the end of the movie. The viewer (well, most of them) already know what the movie is about and expectation to see what happened can lead to disappointment, when they witness the life of Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler from their childhood.

What I appreciate here a lot is that they didn't want to turn the story into an action movie and make the whole thing more than what it is, or what it was. Clint Eastwood knew what he was doing and did it well. The Legion of Honour ceremony, where the back then President of France, François Hollande hands them over France's highest decoration, a historical moment that adds a lot to the movie.

All in all I'm glad I watched it and as I said, after knowing the facts, I see it with different eyes. If you're looking for an action movie, where there are 10 dead bodies in the 1st 5 minutes, this is not for you, but if you want to know what happened on that sunny day and how three brave young guys prevented a tragedy to happen, you should definitely give it a try.

Rating: 75/100


Originally posted through scrobble.life/movies.

If you're a newbie, you may want to check out these guides:

presearch

Comments · 3

  • @yusmelys(69)· 6d

    Greetings, I hadn't heard of this movie, it looks very interesting. I like slow-paced movies where the plot develops gradually.

  • I remember something about that terrorist attack, maybe at that time I watched the news on the TV. I liked the most part of the past movies directed by Eastwood and reading your review now I want to see this one too. Thanks. ❤️

  • There are sooo many of those heroes, almost in any terrorist attack... They are all worth to be celebrated, this one is a biography sort of, which makes sense, not an action movie