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Thursday, February 11, 2010

[5.00/10] The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009)

Tony Scott began life as a director of television adverts and while that, in itself, is no bad thing there's no escaping the fact that, to my mind at least, most of his films have had less heart than an advert. His version of "Pelham" is occasionally entertaining, with some good action scenes and more than a few decent dialog exchanges between characters, but it is nothing more than a Tony Scott action movie dressed up as "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3". Denzel Washington stars as New York City subway dispatcher Walter Garber, whose day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime – the hijacking of a subway train. John Travolta stars as the criminal mastermind behind the plot, the leader of a highly armed gang of four who threaten to execute the train's passengers unless a ransom of $10 million is paid within the hour. As the tension mounts Denzel Washington, who is as always fantastically charismatic and watchable, uses his vast knowledge of the subway system in a battle of wits with Travolta to save the hostages. But there's one riddle even Washington can't solve – even if the thieves get their blood money, how in the hell can they escape? Tony Scott does a pretty little job here. The film is as slick as any TV advert, is wonderfully well edited and he draws fantastic performances from his two principles, but the film is lacking heart. It's all sound and fury and it signifies nothing. We're hit from the opening with thumping music and speeded up film, the camera swirls while overall the film is flash, brash and loud. But there's something missing. It's a rock video instead of a movie.

  • My Rating: 5.00/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes: 52% (5.4/10)
  • IMDb: 6.5/10

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