You're in the Entertainment - Movies section

'Pelham 123' takes movie-goers on subway thrill ride

Published online on Friday, Jun. 12, 2009

E-Mail Print

"The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" is a director's nightmare because the two main players in this action thriller are not in the same spot until almost the explosive ending.

And when you have actors like Denzel Washington and John Travolta, you want these guys to be face to face.

Director Tony Scott has manipulated the film's design so he gets the maximum interaction from his stars. That's one major reason "Pelham" is such a thrill ride.

This is the third film version of the John Godey novel. Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw starred in the first big screen version 35 years ago, and there was a TV film in 1998. The structure changed slightly with each, but the main idea remained the same: A group of men are holding a subway car full of people for ransom.

In Scott's version, it is up to New York dispatcher Walter Garber (Washington) to be the liaison between the hijackers and the police. Garber, who brings his own soiled past to the mix, reluctantly takes on the role.

The main hijacker is known only as Ryder (Travolta). He's got a serious timetable and nothing is going to stop him from getting the ransom and making what would have to be an impossible escape.

Scott's film is like a cinematic teeter-totter. On one end is the snarling poster boy for psychopaths, Ryder. On the other end is the flawed but basically good Garber. There are scenes where the emotional weight of one of the characters will begin to shift the delicate balance. But, Scott quickly adds weight to the other end to keep everything in perfect harmony.

He balances this all on the giant rock of fear forged from terrorist attacks and economic concerns.

There is a certain amount of sedateness to the movie's script with so much time devoted to negotiations. Scott adds tension to those scenes by putting a countdown clock on the action. He also finds ways away from the subway to create action sequences.

Overall, the casting for this new version is as good as the first film. Travolta is like a playful dog when he gets these kind of over-the-top characters. Washington, who added a few pounds to play the part, always seems comfortable in the every-guy role. Toss in an inspired choice of "The Sopranos" star James Gandolfini as the mayor of New York and John Turturro as an emotionless negotiator and there is not a weak performance in the bunch.

"The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" could have jumped the track many times. Scott's firm hand keeps the production on an express ride to pure summer film excitement.