The 15:17 to Paris

(2018)

PLOT | TRIVIA | CAST | CREDITS | PURCHASE

The 15:17 to Paris depicts the scene of heroism that occurred on August 25, 2015, on a high-speed train traveling from Amsterdam to Paris. On that day, three young American tourists, Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone, childhood friends who play themselves in the film, risked their lives to stop an armed terrorist from committing a massacre on board.

The film also portrays the enduring power of their friendship, and how the bonds they first forged in childhood instilled in them the strength and the spirit to act when the circumstances demanded that someone stand up and fight. Feeling a sense of duty to their fellow passengers and buoyed by their faith in God and their lifelong compulsion to serve, these three young men, helped by a few others on board, bravely ran into danger and overpowered the gunman. Their actions almost certainly saved many lives on the train and prevented the chaos that could have resulted from a terrorist victory on French soil. Their story inspired people all over the world and serves as a testament for how shared values and a desire to do good can transform ordinary men and motivate them to do extraordinary things.

• At 96 minutes, this film joins Sully as the shortest film Clint Eastwood has directed to date.
• This is the second Eastwood film, after Sully, that was edited by Blu Murray.
• As with Sully, Eastwood invited many of the people who lived through the events depicted in the film to play themselves. They included two passengers who helped subdue the gunman: Mark Moogalian, who was badly wounded, and Chris Norman.
• The train scenes were filmed on an actual train traveling the same route as the one in the story.
• As shown in the film, Anthony, Alek and Spencer, along with Chris Norman, were awarded France's highest decoration, the Legion of Honor, by French President François Hollande. Two others who helped, including Moogalian, were similarly honored later on.

Written by Amir Al-Kourainy

Through an affiliation with Amazon.com, this film can be purchased via ClintEastwood.net.