The 15:17 to Paris(2018)

Real-life train passengers Alek, Anthony, Spencer, Mark, and Isabelle all portray themselves in the movie.

POOPER
Childhood friends Alek Skarlatos, Anthony Sadler, and Spencer Stone are taking a backpacking trip throughout Europe. While traveling by train from Amsterdam to Paris, they prevent a terrorist attack, with Spencer getting wounded in the process. Each of them later receive the Legion d’Honneur from the President of France for their actions.

LONG VERSION
Told mostly in flashbacks, childhood friends Alek Skarlatos, Anthony Sadler, and Spencer Stone (playing themselves) are on backpacking trip throughout Europe. As they are heading to a train station, the flashbacks begin. Young Alek and Spencer attend the same middle school and bond over their love of guns. They become friends but are constantly getting in trouble at school. Soon they meet Anthony, who also tends to get in trouble a lot, and the three soon become inseparable. Now teenagers, Alek and Spencer’s love of guns and the military lead them to join the armed forces. Spencer, after losing a lot of weight, enlists in the Air Force while Alek joins the Army. During his basic training, Spencer receives battlefield medical training and martial arts training. One day, an alert is sounded stating there is an active shooter on the base. Instead of following orders to hide under his desk, Spencer stands by the door holding a pen, intending to use it as a weapon if necessary. Afterwards, it was revealed to be a false alarm. After completing their respective basic training, Spencer is stationed in Portugal and Alek is deployed to Afghanistan.

One day, Alek is Skyping with Spencer, and he says that he is planning on visiting his girlfriend in Germany during his next leave and suggests they get together. They agree, then Spencer Skypes with Anthony, now a college student, and convinces him to take a vacation to Europe over the summer, and he agrees. Anthony and Spencer spend a few days together in Italy, then travel to Germany and meet Alek there. They travel throughout Germany and later Amsterdam, then decide on a whim to include France on the trip. The trio are heading to the train station in Amsterdam (where the movie began) to take the 15:17 train to Paris.

The date is August 21, 2015, and the three friends are relaxing on the train when Ayoub El-Khazzani (Ray Corasani), sitting in the next train car, takes his suitcase into a restroom with him. Fellow passengers Mark and Isabelle Moogalian (playing themselves) notice the man is taking a long time in there and Mark goes to check it out. Just then, El-Khazzani emerges with an assault rifle, and Mark manages to get the gun away from him. As Mark is running away, El-Khazzani takes out a pistol and shoots him in the neck, then takes back the assault rifle. As other passengers are fleeing the car, the trio hears the gunshot and see the frightened passengers. Just then, El-Khazzani enters their car. Spencer immediately gets up and rushes him, just as the gunman is aiming his rifle at him. Fortunately, the gun jammed, and Spencer tackles him. With Spencer restraining El-Khazzani in a chokehold, the gunman is able to get out his knife and slashes at Spencer, nearly severing his thumb. By now, Alek and Anthony are trying to help Spencer subdue El-Khazzani, and are able to eventually knock him out. While the gunman is getting tied up, Spencer runs to Mark and is able to stop the bleeding by inserting his fingers into the wound and pressing down on the artery.

The police and paramedics are waiting for the train at the next station. The police take El-Khazzani into custody, while the paramedics treat both Mark and Spencer for their wounds. Once the police confirmed that El-Khazzani did not have any accomplices on board, the train was allowed to continue on to Paris. The movie ends a few days later at a ceremony honoring the three childhood friends. Each of them, and later Mark, all received the Legion d’Honneur from the President of France for their heroic actions on board the train.