Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1370 in DVD
• Released on: 2010-01-11
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 106 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
John Godey's 1973 novel The Taking of Pelham One Two Three boasts a suspense situation so surefire that even the directorial bad habits of Tony Scott can't ruin this latest movie version. Four armed men seize a New York City subway train, isolate one car, and threaten to start killing passengers if a ransom isn't paid within the hour. The ransom was a million dollars in the book and also in Joseph Sargent's solid 1974 movie, in which Robert Shaw played the mercenary leading the hostage takers and Walter Matthau was the growling transit cop trying to outsmart him. In 2009, the title has gone digital--The Taking of Pelham 123--and inflation has jumped the asking price to $10 million. Where Shaw's menace was steely, John Travolta opts for manic, and shamelessly has a blast in the master villain role. His adversary, cagily underplayed by Denzel Washington, has been upgraded in civil-service rank but also demoted on suspicion of taking a bribe. This colors the dynamics of the dialogue between Washington at his control-center console and Travolta on the motorman's microphone aboard the stalled train.

So far, so reasonably good. But the director's trademark tactics keep getting between, well, everything. From the get-go, the visuals are subjected to pointless and irritating stutter effects, speeding-up/slowing-down, gratuitous camera movement, and the interposition of dirt- or light-smeared panes of glass between the camera and people we'd appreciate a clear look at. The 1974 movie settled for one police car being wrecked as the ransom is rushed uptown; Scott requires multiple collisions, each the occasion for police cruisers taking Lethal Weapon-style flight. The hostages in the earlier film were wittily individuated, a multicultural group portrait of the city at that mid-'70s moment; the ones on Scott's train--and also Travolta's fellow perpetrators, including that wonderful character actor Luis Guzmán--barely register. On the upside, John Turturro and James Gandolfini shine as two guys who (like the actors themselves) are very good at their jobs—respectively playing a hostage negotiator and His Honour, the mayor. The screenplay by Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential, Mystic River) strives intelligently, if formulaically, to add new dimensions to the main characters and to offer its own gloss on the current economic meltdown. --Richard T. Jameson




Stills from The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (Click for larger image)

Synopsis
Directed by visionary filmmaker Tony Scott (True Romance, Top Gun) this remake of the 1974 classic pits heavyweights Denzel Washington and John Travolta against each other. Washington plays a subway dispatcher in New York City who uses all his knowledge to stop the train hijacking by Travolta's Ryder. The film marks the fourth collaboration between Washington and director Scott, the pair having previously worked together on Crimson Tide, Man on Fire and Deja Vu.

Customer Reviews

Going underground
Pelham 123 was a New York subway train that left the Pelham depot at 1:23pm. John Travolta plays "Ryder" the brutal hijacker who with three others hijacked the train as it was due to leave the station. Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) was the under pressure and under investigation dispatcher (controller) who had no idea how his day would play out as he pulled his socks on that morning.

Securing the train and then disconnecting all but the front carriage for "management purposes" they park up and make their demands - $10 million in one hour and for every minute after, one of the nineteen hostages would die. The gang is ruthless but sophisticated, one of the team being an ex motorman (train driver), providing the expertise they need.

The core of the film is the relationship between Garber and Ryder. They (too quickly, in my opinion) form a rapport, the psychotic kidnapper bearing his soul one minute, but pulling the trigger the next. He will only deal with Garber but is happy to humiliate the hapless mayor (James Gandolfini), taunting him on the radio about his extra-marital affair. The stakes are raised as time runs out to get the money to the chosen drop off point and the bullets fly . . .

Travolta is excellent as the hood with a big grudge against the city and in his warped mind, a right to be wronged. Meaner than a box of rattlesnakes but smarter than a fox, he drags Garber into his world, empathising with the civil servant's position of being under investigation. He tries to bring him into the dark side and cut him in but underestimates his man. We later find out why Ryder is like he is but to be honest it has little impact on the outcome. Washington underplays Garber beautifully but with charm and charisma in a similar vein to his American Gangster role. He's family man who forms the vital connection with the guy with the gun but doesn't forget the milk on the way home.

Overall, not a bad movie, a decent update of the 1974 film with Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw. It has elements of the first Speed and Travolta and Washington shine along with Gandolfini's less than perfect mayor, to bring it a level higher (7/10).

Enjoyable
Denzel Washington plays the metro controller Walter Garber who has been demoted pending investigations of alleged corruption. The guy who literally started at the bottom and worked his way to the top is going to need all the acquired knowledge to get through this day at the office.

John Travolta is Ryder the super intelligent psychopath who uses guile and ruthlessness to stay at least one step ahead of the authorities. His cunning plan runs smoothly until an accidental discharge from a SWAT sniper forces him to go to plan B. But now he has the relentless will of Garber to deal with and the tension builds as the battle of wits goes from control room to the underground and onto the streets of New York. The predictability of this film may be its downfall but with sterling performances from Washington and Travolta and a fine impression of a sweaty mayor by James Gandolfini, I found it to be overall quite enjoyable. By no means a blockbuster but sometimes it's the under rated ones that prove to be the best. Well worth a look......

I'm getting the bus !!!!
Two amazing actors. Denzel Washington can do no wrong in my eyes. He is a World Class actor. I Love him, and he gives a superb performance in this film.

John Travolta is outstanding too, he looks the part and plays it to perfection.

A really great cast, fantastic direction. From the moment the credits start the director has you gripped.

Pelham 123 is a train that is hijacked, but the ransom money is only a small part of evil John Travolta's gain.

The ending left me wanting me more though.

Highly recommend this film.