The Taking of Pelham 123
Tony Scott’s The Taking of Pelham 123 is a remake of the 1974 film of the same name and the made-for-TV movie of the same name from 1998. Scott’s picture isn’t all that important or meaningful, but it’s not damaging or boring either. It does feature the typical style of the director, complete with rapid-cuts and loads of editing fun, but luckily Scott doesn’t let things get all that out of hand once the slick story gets rolling.
Of course, The Taking of Pelham 123 needed to be updated from the ’74 version to include all of the bells and whistles that make living in our modern times so much fun. A writing team did some tinkering and altered some of the character motivations and technology to bring things up to speed in a post-9/11 world.
Denzel Washington stars as Walter Garber, a New York City subway dispatcher. In the ’74 version of the film, the character of Garber is actually a transit cop. Scott’s Garber is part of an ongoing investigation that he took a bride while checking out some rail cars in Japan. This is done to give the character a bit of depth and to raise a few eyebrows later on in the picture, of course.
Anywho, Garber’s day is anything but normal as word comes in that a subway car has been hijacked. Through a series of events, Garber becomes the communication go-to-guy for the lead hijacker, a guy called Ryder (John Travolta). The bulk of The Taking of Pelham 123 concerns the conversations between Garber and Ryder and the arrangement of money to meet Ryder’s demands. It’s pretty straightforward stuff.
In many respects, Scott’s film is quite tame fare. There’s nothing particularly urgent about it, despite his shooting of quite a few cop cars roaring around trying to deliver the money and a bit of an action-packed chase climax that fizzles away into predictability. The actual action of this action-thriller comes in the form of some of the most incompetent police officers and snipers I’ve seen on film in quite some time.
Of course, people don’t go to Tony Scott pictures (or modern action movies, for that matter) because they care about characters or plot development. They want to see stuff blowing up; they want to see chases and feel the heart-pounding tension. Unfortunately, while Scott’s film doesn’t do too badly at offering up quick-moving sequences and sharp dialogue, there’s never really much by way of actual tension. We never get the feeling that too much is at risk or that things are that out of control.
Instead, The Taking of Pelham 123 feels remarkably safe for a big screen movie. Travolta and Washington are alright in their respective roles, but there’s nothing outstanding about what they do. Some of the supporting cast, including James Gandolfini as the mayor of NYC, proves to be more interesting, but Scott isn’t that interested in giving them much to do.
Overall, The Taking of Pelham 123 is an adequate, sleek action thriller that doesn’t overdo the usual Scott magic. It moves quickly, but there’s nothing really substantial about it and the movie is instantly forgettable. The performances are just okay, the action sequences are quick but free of impact, and the overall tension of the situation never feels palpable.
Trailer:
