The 15:17 to Paris

The 15:17 to Paris

Company type	Film
Industry	Motion picture
Founded	2018 (2018)
Founder	Clint Eastwood (director and producer)
Products	Biographical drama film
Parent	Warner Bros. Pictures (distributor)

The 15:17 to Paris is a 2018 American biographical drama directed and produced by Clint Eastwood, featuring a screenplay written by Dorothy Blyskal. The narrative is adapted from the 2016 memoir The 15:17 to Paris: The True Story of a Terrorist, a Train, and Three American Heroes, authored by Jeffrey E. Stern, Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler, and Alek Skarlatos. The film uniquely casts Stone, Sadler, and Skarlatos portraying themselves, dramatizing their experiences before and during their intervention in the 2015 Thalys train attack. The supporting cast includes performances by Judy Greer and Jenna Fischer.

In April 2017, Eastwood revealed intentions to bring the autobiography to the screen, collaborating with first-time screenwriter Blyskal. While professional actors such as Kyle Gallner and Jeremie Harris were initially considered for the roles, Eastwood decided by July to feature the actual individuals involved in the event. Principal photography began that same month.

Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, the film premiered in the United States on February 9, 2018. With a production budget of $30 million, it earned $57 million globally but was met with largely unfavorable reviews from critics.

Plot

Spencer Stone and Alek Skarlatos attend a Christian middle school in a suburban area, where they connect over their mutual fascination with firearms and frequent encounters with disciplinary action. They become friends with fellow classmate and troublemaker Anthony Sadler. Both Spencer and Alek are raised by single mothers who often advocate on their behalf.

While working at a smoothie shop part-time, Spencer encounters a recruiter from the United States Marine Corps and learns about the Air Force pararescue program. Motivated by this, he undertakes intense preparation to join the Air Force as a Pararescueman. Despite completing basic training, he fails the pararescue qualification due to impaired depth perception and is assigned overseas. Meanwhile, Alek enlists in the National Guard and is deployed to Afghanistan. The trio arranges to reunite in Europe during their respective leaves, with Anthony traveling from college to join them.

Their journey takes them through Germany and Amsterdam before boarding the 15:17 train bound for Paris. Onboard, French-American passenger Mark Moogalian becomes suspicious when someone occupies a restroom for an extended period. Upon investigation, he confronts an armed terrorist wielding an assault rifle. Another passenger attempts to intervene but is shot. As chaos ensues and passengers scatter, the assailant approaches Spencer and his companions.

Reacting immediately, Spencer runs toward the attacker just as the firearm malfunctions. He tackles and disarms him while Alek, Anthony, and other passengers assist in subduing the assailant. Spencer then administers first aid to Moogalian’s neck injury until emergency responders arrive. Moogalian survives following urgent medical care.

At an official ceremony, French President François Hollande commends Spencer, Alek, and Anthony for their courageous actions against a heavily armed attacker. The rare malfunction of the weapon played a pivotal role in their success. The three men are awarded the French Legion of Honour, and the film concludes with a celebratory parade held in their hometown of Sacramento.

Cast

• Spencer Stone portraying himself
• Anthony Sadler portraying himself
• Alek Skarlatos portraying himself
• Mark Moogalian appearing as himself
• Isabelle Risacher Moogalian appearing as herself
• Judy Greer as Joyce Eskel, Spencer’s mother
• Jenna Fischer as Heidi Skarlatos, Alek’s mother
• Ray Corasani as Ayoub El-Khazzani
• Chris Norman in his own role
• P.J. Byrne playing Mr. Henry
• Sinqua Walls as a Marine
• Ethan Rains in the role of Ben Zomerdyk
• Tony Hale portraying Coach Murray
• Thomas Lennon as Principal Michael Akers
• Jaleel White playing Garrett Walden

Younger versions of Stone, Sadler, and Skarlatos are depicted by Paul-Mikel Williams, Max Ivutin, Bryce Gheisar, Cole Eichenberger, and William Jennings.

Production

On April 20, 2017, it was revealed that Clint Eastwood would helm The 15:17 to Paris, adapting Dorothy Blyskal’s screenplay based on the book The 15:17 to Paris: The True Story of a Terrorist, a Train, and Three American Heroes. Casting commenced promptly with plans to begin filming later that year. By June 21, 2017, Eastwood was considering actors such as Kyle Gallner, Jeremie Harris, and Alexander Ludwig for the principal roles.

On July 11, 2017, Eastwood announced that Sadler, Skarlatos, and Stone would portray themselves, chronicling their lifelong friendship leading up to the significant incident. Filming started immediately on the same date. Two days later, on July 13, 2017, Tony Hale and Thomas Lennon joined the cast as school personnel. The addition of Sinqua Walls was confirmed on August 1. Mark Moogalian and Isabelle Risacher Moogalian also made appearances as themselves. Principal photography wrapped up in Atlanta, Georgia on August 2, 2017.

Warner Bros. set the film’s release date for February 9, 2018.

Release

The movie premiered in the United States on February 9, 2018. Initially given an R rating by the MPAA for "a sequence of violence and bloody images," it was subsequently reclassified as PG-13 following an appeal.

Marketing

The official trailer was unveiled on December 13, 2017, approximately two months ahead of the film’s release.

Home media

The 15:17 to Paris was made available digitally in high definition on May 1, 2018, followed by Blu-ray and DVD editions released on May 22, 2018.

Box office

The film earned $36.3 million domestically and $20.6 million internationally, culminating in a global total of $56.9 million against its $30 million production cost.

Opening alongside Peter Rabbit and Fifty Shades Freed, it was expected to generate between $10 and $15 million across 3,042 theaters during its debut weekend and ultimately grossed $12.6 million, securing third place at the box office. In its second weekend, earnings declined by 40%, bringing in $7.6 million ($8.9 million over the four-day Presidents Day holiday), placing fifth overall.

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating based on 167 critiques with an average score reflecting mixed sentiments. The consensus notes that while The 15:17 to Paris sincerely honors heroism, director Clint Eastwood’s decision to cast the actual individuals ultimately undermines the project. On Metacritic, it possesses a weighted mean score of 45 out of 100 from 36 reviewers, signifying "mixed or average reviews." Audience polling by CinemaScore assigned it an average grade of "B−."

Kevin P. Sullivan from Entertainment Weekly gave the film a D rating; he commended the train attack sequence for its exciting cinematography and editing but criticized the preceding portions as filler burdened by awkward dialogue that limited the performance quality of the inexperienced leads. Matt Zoller Seitz at RogerEbert.com awarded two stars out of four, describing roughly 70% of the movie as inert but recognizing the easygoing charm of the three protagonists and applauding the authenticity of the climactic train scene. A. O. Scott of The New York Times delivered a favorable review emphasizing Eastwood’s straightforward craftsmanship and appreciating the film’s stark simplicity imbued with a subtle sense of intrigue.

Awards and Nominations

The 15:17 to Paris earned a nomination for Best Drama TV Spot (Feature Film) at the 2018 Golden Trailer Awards. Additionally, it was recognized with a nomination for Best Worst Film by the Houston Film Critics Society Awards 2018.

External links

• The 15:17 to Paris featured on History vs. Hollywood