The Unthinkable movie review & film summary (2021)

Perhaps as a result of the film's low-budget nature (much of the budget was apparently raised via Kickstarter), “The Unthinkable” is more interested in the ways in which the characters react to the acts of carnage surrounding them than the carnage itself. In a number of ways, it reminded me a bit of “Miracle Mile,” Steve De Jarnatt’s spellbinding 1988 thriller in which a young man inadvertently intercepts a call claiming that nuclear missiles will be hitting L.A. in just over an hour and watches the city descend into increasing levels of chaos over a threat that might not even exist. Here, the threat is not quite as ambiguous but, like that film, it is more intrigued by how the characters behave rather than how they act in an action sense. This is not to say that the film skimps on the action in any way. There are a couple of moments—one involving a car crash on a bridge and the other involving a helicopter—that are genuinely astonishing, especially considering the project's inexpensive nature. 

“The Unthinkable” is clearly always swinging for the fences and, not surprisingly, not all of those swings quite connect. The early scenes are a bit rough at times as they highlight two of the film’s most notable flaws. Instead of utilizing expensive CGI de-aging techniques to make Alex and Anna look younger in the flashback sequence, the filmmakers go the much cheaper route of plunking wildly unconvincing wigs on their heads, making them look like characters from an improv sketch rather than believable people. The other is the unavoidable fact that Alex, our ostensible hero, is not particularly sympathetic—he too often comes across like a self-absorbed jerk, and even when things are literally exploding around him, he still seems unable to think about anyone but himself. Granted, it takes a lot of nerve to put someone that off-putting at the center of the story but he may be too much for some viewers.

And yet, there's still a lot to like, or at least admire, about the film. It's impressively staged, especially considering the low budget, and contains a number of action beats that put their high-priced Hollywood competition to shame. I liked Barkseilus’ performance as Bjorn, a man living with any number of regrets who is horrified (and perhaps secretly pleased) that his often-dismissed warnings have somehow come true. And I liked the way that a development in the final third allows the proceedings to conclude on an unexpectedly lyrical note. Those looking for a typical disaster movie scenario that unfolds in the usual ways may find "The Unthinkable" to be a bit frustrating, but anyone who wants to see a movie willing to mess around with the usual genre tropes should find it an intriguing variation on a standard theme.

Now playing in theaters and available on demand.