Unstoppable Review

They’re a cinematic perennial. Inspirational stories of individuals who overcome what appear to be insurmountable odds have made it onto screens so often they’ve become formulaic and over-familiar. Not that their emotional strength or the power of their message is necessarily weakened as a result – and the latest in the genre, Unstoppable, is a case in point.

Born with only one leg and unable to wear a prosthesis, Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome) had a ion for wrestling and refused to let his disability define his life. Dedicated to his sport, and with the constant and encouragement of his mother, Judy (Jennifer Lopez), he won prizes at school but qualifying for college so he could develop his talents was even harder. When he scrapes into Arizona State University, he has to fight all the way to achieve a place in its elite wrestling team but ultimately achieves his dream – a shot at a national title.

The film sticks to the formula – you can almost see the ticks against the list of essentials such as triumph over adversity, social disadvantage and disability – and isn’t shy about it. If anything, it makes a virtue out of that familiarity, fully aware it’s giving audiences what they want and expect and even adding a knowing wink when Robles stands on the Rocky steps, looking down at those footprints. But, while his relentlessly determined way of working doesn’t want sympathy, that’s exactly what the film goes for and tries overly hard to win. It doesn’t need to: it’s already built into the narrative and some occasional subtlety would have made it even more powerful.

There’s some real strength in the performances, though, especially from Jerome. The actor who first came to prominence in When They See Us (2019) gives a commanding, gutsy performance, one that flows easily from the rigours of the ring to his home life, which also comes with challenges and hardships. The real Robles is also his stunt double for some of the fight scenes, although you’d have to look carefully to tell the difference, despite the close-up camerawork. As his mother, Jennifer Lopez seems to have taken the formula very much to heart. It’s not that she falls short, but rather that we’ve seen her as this character too often of late: she wears those massive hoop earrings that could be an Olympic sport in their own right, you know exactly what to expect and that’s what you get. There’s a sense that she’s stuck in an acting rut. More interesting, however, is Bobby Cannavale as her shady, abusive husband who breathes much-needed life into what is essentially a conventional bad guy role.

Unstoppable does, however, manage to stay on the right side of cloying sentimentality. Thanks mainly to the heart in Jerome’s performance, it never feels too easy – the scene where he trains in the desert will make your muscles ache – and the knowledge that Robles has since built careers as a wrestling commentator and an inspirational speaker reinforces the film’s respect for him, as well as ours. Familiar and formulaic it certainly is, but this is also a movie that warms the heart. And that’s no bad thing.

★★★

In UK cinemas from 6 December and on Prime Video from 16 January 2025 / Jharrel Jerome, Jennifer Lopez, Bobby Cannavale, Don Cheadle, Michael Pena, Anthony Robles / Dir: William Goldenberg / MetFilm/Amazon MGM Studios / 12A