The 15:17 to Paris

Director: Clint Eastwood
Year Released: 2018
Rating: 2.0

Three ol' pals from Sacramento, soldiers Spencer Stone (Air Force) and Alek Skarlatos (U.S Army National Guard) and their civilian friend Anthony Sadler (all playing themselves), go to Europe to sightsee and drink, but on a train ride from Amsterdam to Paris, they instinctively band together to stop a gunman. It's interesting how Eastwood cast the real-life participants in this, for better or worse: they aren't natural actors (by any means) but it does come across as a warm buddy movie in which an innocuous vacation turns into something deadly, they react selflessly and become international heroes. Eastwood, in his later years, really wants to be John Ford 2.0: hammy but earnest (modern) Americana with plenty of We Can Do This! patriotism, except whereas many mechanically mouth the words "Support the Troops!" I believe Blondie the Old School Republican actually means it.