Unstoppable

Wesley Snipes fans expecting a fightfest will probably be disappointed with "Unstoppable" / "Nine Lives", since the martial arts quotient is very limited. But those who prefer their action films to be driven by their stories and have a touch of originality in them will probably like this more. The originality comes mostly in the form of the hallucinogenic effects of the drug that Snipes gets injected with, and the ways director David Carson merges illusions with reality. Snipes is believably haunted by his war memories, just as he is believably disoriented by the drug; an action star like, say, Steven Seagal, would hardly be able to handle this role. Playing a police detective who is also Snipes' girlfriend, Jacqueline Obradors is uncompromisingly tough, foul-mouthed and occasionally even unpleasant, and she handles it all with conviction. And Kim Coates always makes a dependable villain. The film also contains one of the funniest lines I've heard in a long time, precisely because it's so unexpected: "Hey, have you seen my pony?" (**1/2)