9. Unstoppable (2010)
Against the odds,
Unstoppable remains one of Tony Scott's best-reviewed films in decades, most likely because it marked a toning-down of his signature frenetic style, erring away from the fast jump-cuts and hyper-saturated visuals that dominated his prior decade of filmmaking. It was a straight-up, down-the-line chase thriller in the vein of
Speed, and guided by reliable performances from both Denzel Washington and Chris Pine, as train operators trying to shut down a runaway train, it totally worked as an efficient, exciting slice of action cinema. Direction swoops all about the place, and the blistering sound editing even earned it an Academy Award nomination. Needless to say, as Scott's final feature, he certainly went out with a bang, and sadly, we'll never get to see where this more reigned-in approach might have taken him next time, if he had even decided to stick with it in any case.