Tony Scott’s Pelham remake left me both entertained at times and hanging my head, shaking it back and forth in anger with some of the acting holes and employment of hollow characters.

John Travolta plays the angry-with-the-government New Yorker whose means for holding up a train full of hostages are never justified. Sure, he seems to rant about the corruption of city officials but when the script reads, “*explicit* get my *explicit* money to me in Ten *explicit* minutes, *explicit*”, you begin to lose interest in what has to be said. I could simply describe the plot without spoilage in one run-on sentence; John Travolta gets on a train, demands money, kills some people, and swears a lot.

Denzel Washington’s character is a little better. He’s given much more of a fleshed-out character. Having said that, I still think he could have and has done better (see Malcolm X).

Scott’s use of cinematic techniques works well. The editing and slick dolly/crane shots work well to keep the action and pace of the movie in check. This was a relief to me since the acting falls short.

So all in all, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 isn’t bad. Its acting is sloppy but Tony Scott does seem to have his way in turning the camera into a tool for storytelling, especially in regards to the flashy, action-oriented type. If you have the option, go with the original. It’s not paced like a modern Hollywood action movie but the acting melds the characters with the plot and it plays out with much more suspense than this fast-paced “adrenaline rush”. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Crime/Drama/Thriller

Rated R

DVD Release Date: 11/3/09

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