DVD Review

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DVD: The Taking of Pelham 123
Rating: R
Starring: Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, James Gandolfini
Written By: Brian Helgeland
Directed By: Tony Scott
Distributor: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Original Year of Release: 2009
Extras: See Below
Series:

The Taking of Pelham 123 DVD Review

Remake of the 70s Thriller Has its Moments

By Tim Janson October 28, 2009

John Travolta in The Taking of Pelham 123(2009).
© Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

The Taking of Pelham 123 is a remake of a 1974 film by the same name and it has some very big shoes to fill as the original was one of the best crime thrillers of the 1970s. The plot is kept relatively the same with added nuances to modernize it somewhat although not necessarily making it better. Four men hijack a New York subway train and hold the passengers for a ten million dollar ransom. The quartet are led by Ryder (John Travolta) and you need not know anymore about the rest as they are given very little screen time and even less character development. Travolta takes on the role played by Robert Shaw in the original and while he is ruthless and petulantly violent, he lacks the cold, calculated sinister appeal of Shaw.

Dealing with the hijackers is Denzel Washington as Garber, a train dispatcher (changed from Walter Matthau’s transit cop in the original). It is Garber who takes the point in negotiating with Ryder, with aid from a hostage negotiator played by John Turturro. Also included in the cast is James Gandolfini The strength of both the original and the remake is the repartee between the two leads. An added sub-plot where Garber has been accused of taking a bribe helps to establish a kinship between the pair, at least as far as Ryder goes. The dialog is razor sharp and often hilarious. Turturro has some wonderful lines, particularly. The same can’t be said for the rest of the script.

The cat & mouse game that created so much suspense between Matthau and Shaw is tossed out the window in favor of chase scenes and gunplay. One got the feeling that the police snipers could have ended the situation at anytime…especially seeing as the hostages spent most of the film lying on the floor of the train car while the hijackers walked about the fully lit train and made themselves easy targets.

The original exuded the essence of 1970s New York City : seedy, gritty, and dripping with pure New York attitude. It could be that this just isn’t a film that fits a more modern, shiny subway system with its state-of-the-art control system. Director Tony Scott tosses out every modern filmmaking trick in his arsenal including jerky camera work, quick edits, slow motion crashes, etc. Rather than help the film it only serves to distract the viewer. Perhaps Scott thought that modern audiences would prefer this style but this is a thriller at its core and not an action film.

There are worse ways to kill 90 minutes or so than by watching The Taking of Pelham 123. It offers strong performances by the lead and supporting characters but derails itself with the actual storyline.

Extras include:

Audio Commentary featuring Director Tony Scott, Writer Brian Helgeland, and Producer Todd Black

Making of documentary (30:00) which goes into the detail of working with the N.Y. Transit Authority; the reasoning behind changing Garber from a cop to just a regular guy; and characters like Bashkin who was a real ex-con with no prior acting experience.

“The Third Rail: The N.Y. Underground” (16:15), This segment explores the actual the real life subway system and the many dangers that lurk underground including the notorious “third rail” which carries some 10,000 amps.

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