The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3 (2009) - June 13, 2009
A surprisingly entertaining remake about a man who holds a subway car full of people for ransom, and the transit employee who gets stuck dealing with him. Walking in, this seemed like an unnecessary remake to me; the original is justifiably regarded as a classic, and while this probably wasn't as good as that, it was still quite compelling all the way through. As with Tony Scott's last film, Deja Vu, he has considerably toned down his way over-the-top style, which is a good thing. The film is still a bit flashier than it needs to be, but for the most part Scott's direction is quite restrained, at least comparatively speaking. The film does a really good job of keeping everything moving at a really fast pace despite the fact that much of the film consists of the two main characters talking over the radio, and Denzel Washington made for a really compelling lead character. John Travolta didn't fare quite as well, but he was decent enough as the crazed hijacker. ***1/2