“Merci.”

From The 15:17 to Paris.

As boys, Spencer Stone (William Jennings), Alek Skarlatos (Bryce Gheisar), and Anthony Sadler (Paul-Mikel Williams) became best friends at a school where none of them seemed to fit in, bonding over mischief and all things war-related.  While the boys constantly find themselves in trouble with their teachers and principle (Thomas Lennon), Spencer’s mother (Judy Greer) and Alek’s mother (Jenna Fischer) are left struggling to keep their sons from failing.  After switching to different schools and states, the boys are separated from each other, but they continue to keep in touch through adulthood.  As adults, Alek (played by himself) joins the National Guard and Spencer (played by himself) joins the Air Force finding himself studying as a medic after several set-backs in his military career.  In 2015, Spencer, Alek, and Anthony (played by himself) meet in Europe for a vacation all across the continent.  After visiting Amsterdam, the three decide to visit Paris before ending their trip, so they board the Thalys train to Paris on what they believe is just another day of their vacation.  The relaxation of the train ride quickly turns deadly when a man emerges from the on-board bathroom loaded with several guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.  As the entire train is plunged into terror, these three young American tourists decide to take action, regardless of what it will cost them.

A perfect balance between the events of the train attack and the lives the heroes lived before that.  One of the most amazing aspects of this movie is that the three main characters of the story were cast to play themselves, which creates an amazing chance to experience both the men’s reaction to the attack and the life events that led up to the train ride.  The acting is solid for three novice actors given major roles in such a large film; during a few moments, the acting does feel a bit weak, but remembering that the men are playing themselves makes the scene (and movie as a whole) feel real.  This is an engrossing movie based on an amazing story and definitely not to be missed!

| Rated: PG-13 | Running Time: 94 minutes |Genre: action/biography |

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 4 of 10|Nudity: 1 of 10|Sexuality: 1 of 10|Gore: 5 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|