Rating of
2/4
"The Taking Of Pelham 1 2 3" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 01/16/12
A ruthless gang of machine gun toting criminals hijack a subway train to extort $10 million from New York City. A remake of the cult classic of the 1970s which went some way to "inspire" Tarantino when he wrote Reservoir Dogs, The Taking Of Pelham 123 is a typical Scott-Washington collaboration and demonstrates the usual glossy skill each possess when making a mainstream Hollywood thriller. I was tiring of the inevitable Tony Scott visual masturbation by the time the credits had even finished but for the most part, it's a very efficient potboiler. It's very much a two man show as the dialogue between Denzel and a rather Village People looking Travolta is the best aspect of the film, affording Scott an opportunity for more of the kind of "personal revelations at gunpoint" he showcased during Phonebooth and the subway tunnel makes a suitably claustrophobic setting. Unfortunately, once the story leaves that location it's just a load of unnecessary and bog-standard car chases and the whole thing lacks the wit and character of the first version. An efficient but altogether pointless remake that's impossible to recommend over the far superior original.
