Taking of Pelham 123 – Review

Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009) is first of all, a decent thriller, but it’s like you’re getting into the car to head somewhere, anywhere, and putting your car on cruise control. It’s a nice day, your windows are rolled down, and nothing but road ahead of you. You just hope you enjoy the scenery, otherwise it is going to be a monotonous ride. That’s Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. You’re either going to enjoy it for what it is, or it’s going to be a ho-hum ride until the credits.Filmed twice prior, this new version features creditable actors, John Travolta and Denzel Washington, but adds Tony Scott, the man who can’t sit his camera still. While not as motion-sickness inducing as previous movies, his hiring will make or break a lot of you from taking this ride. Personally, Tony has never bothered me as much as some critics. They are mostly irritated at the thought of him, and yes, his visual flair is overtly hyper and doesn’t add much to the final product but useless style. Do I think he hurt this film, really I can’t say he did, but he didn’t add to the film either.

The film hinges itself on the conversations between Ryder (Travolta) and Garber (Washington), and it’s these scenes that elevate the experience. Regardless of if Washington is just walking through performances now or if Travolta has “lost it” as an actor, these guys are, without a question, dependable. When playing a villain, Travolta seems to be snood, giggly, and borderline over-acting, but it’s also borderline scene-chewing, and for that, most audiences that take this ride will enjoy it for that fact. Washington hovers as the good guy in the wrong scenario, but at least he isn’t as bland as in American Gangster. Get these two together, and they will sell your film, not based on name recognition alone, but the fact they can verbally spare with one another. This is where the film excels.

Adding to this is some modern touches, like a Wall Street angle that feels on-the-nose, but brings a reality bite to this 2009 version. Ryder and Garber have back stories that play out like a game of chess in the film. The set-up is good, but finishing it out properly felt rushed. Throughout the film, the police hostage negotiator (John Turturro) tells Garber to deflect Ryder attempts at bringing him down to his level, always play your hand, don’t give in. But the climax, he does, weakening a potential strong finish. I guess, to play Devil’s Advocate, I don’t blame Garber. Oddly written, the cops here, NYC’s finest, are blundering goofs, messing up at every crucial moment. For a movie that feels like it could have been a solid drama, the cops’ involvement make it comical, severing the mood.

The pacing is quick, nothing drags, and while one can bitch of the cocaine-induced visual styles of Scott, or the Swordfish riff Travolta plays with Ryder, and maybe everyone one is coasting here, but the ride is decent enough to take once.

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