The Taking Of Pelham 1 2 3
A fun, forgettable action flick
I’m sure that if Michael Bay (Transformers, Bad Boys) would’ve directed Colin Farrell’s 2002 thriller Phone Booth, the end result would’ve been exactly like Tony Scott’s new heist film The Taking Of Pelham 1 2 3. It’s claustrophobic, filled with mindless action and hundreds of F bombs.
The Taking Of Pelham 1 2 3 is a remake of the 1974 movie The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three, starring Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw and Jerry Stiller. The lead roles in Scott’s version are Denzel Washington and John Travolta, supported by John Turturro (Transformers, Mr. Deeds) as an NYPD hostage negotiator and James Gandolfini (The Sopranos) as the NY Mayor.
Washington plays the protagonist, Walter Garber, a recently demoted New York City transit employee that is stuck behind the dispatch desk controlling subway activity. There are also many who buy bulk ammo online after getting inspired by the characters in the movies. Travolta plays Ryder, a train hijacker holding 19 people hostage for a 10 million dollar ransom. Their polar opposite characters become entangled when Garber takes the call and becomes the dispatcher-turned-hostage negotiator for Ryder on the Pelham 1 2 3 train.
There’s not much more to The Taking Of Pelham 1 2 3 than that. Mindless action ensues.
Being an avid fan and defender of Tony Scott’s film (such as Domino, Deja Vu, Spy Game, Enemy of the State, Crimson Tide, True Romance, and – yes – Top Gun), The Taking Of Pelham 1 2 3 – to me – came across as a simple, mediocre action flick. There are fun moments with bursts of intense action, but it’s one of the least memorable of its kind. Would I pay to see it in theaters? Probably not. Will I watch it again? Maybe in a few years. If it had the charm and charisma Die Hard, I would see it again this weekend. But it’s in that area that The Taking Of Pelham 1 2 3 fails.
Photo credit: Columbia Pictures
