Denzel Washington, John Travolta in Average ‘The Taking of Pelham 123’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 12, 2009 - 10:31am.
‘The Taking of Pelham 123’ stars Denzel Washington, John Travolta, James Gandolfini, John Turturro, and Luis Guzman. It was written by Brian Helgeland and directed by Tony Scott. It opens on June 12th, 2009. It is rated R.
Continuing reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “The Taking of Pelham 123” review.
Denzel Washington in Columbia Pictures’ action thriller THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123, also starring John Travolta.
Photo credit: Sony/Rico Torres
 Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Tony Scott’s remake of “The Taking of Pelham 123,” starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta, is likely to meet sun-drained audience expectations for a straight-forward, adult-driven action film this season but the overly stylized and not-so-thrilling train ride is ultimately merely average at best and will disappoint fans looking for anything more.
The opportunity to make something “just not bad” out of the very well-liked “The Taking of Pelham 123” was definitely missed but there are elements of the film - mostly in the performances of Washington and Travolta and some of the choices made by screenwriter Brian Helgeland (“L.A. Confidential”) - that undeniably do work and adults looking for non-sequel action are likely to be satisfied by what this train delivers.
| Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “The Taking of Pelham 123” in our reviews section. |
“The Taking of Pelham 123” is nearly presented in real-time and opens with the hijacking of a New York City subway train by a group of domestic terrorists led by the deadly Ryder (John Travolta). Ryder and his team clearly know how the rail system works, un-coupling the Pelham train at just the right point where snipers can’t get an easy shot and they can control communication.
Ryder phones in his demand of $10 million in an hour through dispatcher Walter Garber (Denzel Washington), a former executive who has been demoted while he’s being investigated for allegedly taking a bribe. Of course, Ryder and Garber develop a bond that allows for a lot of monologues, confessions, and revealed motives. Can the family man under a cloud of suspicion himself talk the deadly hostage-taker out of drastic action before it’s too late? James Gandolfini and John Tuturro co-star.
Continuing reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “The Taking of Pelham 123” review.Denzel Washington in Columbia Pictures’ action thriller THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123, also starring John Travolta.
Photo credit: Sony/Rico Torres
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