The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)

director: Tony Scott

writer: Brian Helgeland

starring: Denzel Washington, John Travolta

genre: Thriller, Remake







When a film has the likes of John Travolta and Denzel Washington can it really be bad? Well yeah. But can these two make a mediocre remake into something special just by themselves well sorry to say but no. The Taking of Pelham 123 is one of the oddest choices for a remake that ive seen and a film with minimal potential for something special but just a simple popcorn flick.



The plot revolves around the train Pelham 123. On one of its routes in the N.Y. metro its hijacked by criminals headed by Ryder (John Travolta) with their goal on getting something from the good old city of N.Y. On the other side there lies Garber (Denzel Washington) a metro transit officer who is in the unlucky place to deal with the situation as a mediary. While the plot thickens we see what the true score of the villains are and the weird connection the two men on opposite sides have.



I didn’t expect much from the film. But hoped for something at least a little unique because of the actors and the director and writer who have showen excellence in the past. Instead of doing anything remarkable, everything is stale, done again and just time consuming. After seeing this film you will honestly ask yourself what was the point of this film. Seeing this film I wondered isn’t this the kind of film that should have been made in the 90’s when we used have these kind of plots. Arent ransom a bit done again. Haven’t we seen too many ransom films that we just don’t care if the hostages live or die.



The issues with the film don’t stop there. Tony Scott the director has developed a technique of directing for his last 4 or 5 films which is to re cut into scenes again and again in slow motion, more in your face subtitles, shaky and blurry camera work. All of this is in the film and fails miserably. Bluryiness gives you a headache and takes you away from the beautiful visuals a city like N.Y. can give you. Also the slow motion re ediitnng is pretty useless in a film with no action at all. If anybody wants to see a true Tony Scott film where these kind of techniques are used in a better fashion I suggest Man on Fire.



There not much more to say about this film but don’t see it. Having not seen the original I cant recommend it. But there are far too many other films with ransoms and hijacking that are far better. Pelham 123 is just mediocrity at Hollywood’s best.

Personal Rating:

Review by Paul