15:17 to Paris: A Tea Party Movie Review

15:17 to Paris a Worcester Tea Party Movie ReviewThe film 15:17 to Paris is a very unique film by Clint Eastwood.  Although the plot was nothing very new, the fact that the heroes in the movie were not played by actors but the actual men who witnessed the event, made the movie appear more authentic and true to the events surrounding that day.

In a nutshell, the movie is about the events of August 21, 2015 that transpired on a train between Amsterdam and Paris where three Americans disarmed and stopped a terrorist attack and preformed first aid on an injured victim.  The film attempts to fit an event that encompassed 20 – 30 minutes into a two-hour film, so much of the movie focuses how the men met as children and their lives growing up.  This made the film slow at times, particularly when one intends to see an action film.

Tea Party-wise, it is the underlying theme that makes this movie special.  As Tea Party activists, we can relate and understand this theme better than others.  This quote from the movie sums it up perfectly:

“Do you ever just feel like life is catapulting you towards something, some greater purpose?” 

In our case, this of course extends to our fight to restore our republic to its capitalist roots so that our children will know and understand the blessings of liberty.  In the movie, it was these men and the great courage and strength they exemplified to save hundreds of passengers on a train.

The movie, at its core, is an ode to the common man, the average everyday people who rise to the occasion and do great things.  In keeping with that concept the film has a wonderful Cinema Verite feel to it and it is devoid of tricky camera work, special effects, or CGI.  It is a remarkable cinematic event, and speaks to the fact that people are capable of ruling themselves as well as speaks to many of the core foundational principles that our nation was founded.

The Tea Party gives this film 3 out of 5 stars.  Although a wonderfully courageous story with a very realistic twist by having the actual heroes play their own parts in the movie and a nice sub-theme all Tea Party supporters understand, the gaps in action made the movie hard to sit through at times.