The Taking of Pelham 123 Review | Talking of Pelham Review | Taking of Pelham Hollywood Movie Review
US: Tony Scott; Denzel Washington, John Travolta. Rating: * *
It was hard, on learning that Tony Scott had signed on to direct a remake of The Taking of Pelham 123, not to believe he was making a big mistake. The 1974 original, an adaptation of a John Godey novel directed by Joseph Sargent, was a much-loved thriller whose cast of colour-coded criminals, among them a Mr Blue and a Mr Green, was a direct influence on Quentin Tarantino when he came to name his tough guys in Reservoir Dogs (1992).
Taking of Pehlam 123 ( via i.realone.com )
Internet buzz pre-slimed this New York subway-hijack thriller as a douched-up reboot of the 1974 original. Since I revere the first movie, especially the hangdog genius of Walter Matthau as transit cop Zachary Garber, I sympathized. Then I saw The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, and the sucker grabbed me from the minute Denzel Washington, basically in the Matthau role, came on as train dispatcher Walter Garber. That's right: Walter! One hell of a classy name-check, if you ask me.
The Taking of Pelham 123 is all about time. John Travolta, with the help of a criminal gang and a moustache that should get a supporting actor credit, has hijacked a New York subway train and is holding the passengers to ransom for $10m.
In a summer of dross, we don%u2019t need amazing films right now, we need dependable ones. This will do just fine. A good movie, but don't expect the best thriller of the summer in a flick that's sometimes as eventful as getting stuck between 34th and 42nd Streets on the A train in NYC.
Video Review: At The Movies With Peter Travers: "The Taking of Pelham 123," "Moon" and "Imagine That"
http://www.rollingstone.com/blogs/traverstake/2009/06/at-the-movies-with-peter-trave-18.php#
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