THE 15:17 TO PARIS

THE 15:17 TO PARIS:   Clint Eastwood's take on the heroic event of August 21, 2015 in which three young American's thwarted a terrorist attack aboard a speeding train.  Starring the real life heroes as themselves does remove a bit of the suspense I suppose, (They obviously weren't killed...they're in the film) but Mr. Eastwood still manages to put a good deal of tension in at the end.  Told in a series of flashback, including their childhood, the film starts out with a good deal of promise.  But, unfortunately, mid-way through it gets bogged down and becomes a travelogue of sorts.  Will the ending ever get here, I found myself thinking.   Also, it was a bit too pro-gun for my taste, with the three playing "war" in the early scenes as they were growing up.   And I confess, I actually longed for "real" actors instead of "real" people in the leading roles.  Maybe, Mr. Eastwood had a smaller budget than usual and the choice of casting was out of necessity.  In summary, it's not a bad film, but not a great one either.  I wanted more.