This is the true story of how in 2015 three vacationing Americans, two with military training, and a Brit foiled an attempted mass shooting by an Islamist terrorist on a Paris-bound train.

It would have made a terrific, kick-ass movie, but Clint Eastwood got hold of it instead.

The director for some unfathomable reason chose to focus on the three guys’ backstories, their childhoods and military training. Trouble is, the backstories are unbelievably banal and the guys turn out to be fairly clueless.  All this is exacerbated by having the actual heroes play themselves. This stunt casting may reap some PR benefits, but it makes for a real watch-watcher. The non-actors distract from their own story.

In essence, you could skip the first 80 minutes and not miss a thing. And if you’ve seen the trailer and its glimpses of the thwarted attack, you could skip the whole thing. (94 min)