Film

Review: The Taking of Pelham 123

July 30, 2009 13:24
1 min read

After a hyper-flashy opening, director Tony Scott switches to gripping storytelling when New York subway dispatcher Walter Garber (charismatic Denzel Washington) takes on Ryder (John Travolta, entertainingly larger than life) who is holding subway passengers hostage for a $10 million ransom.

Washington and Travolta make memorable opponents, Scott creates good mounting suspense, the action sequences are exciting and James Gandolfini’s venal mayor is amusing. As remakes go (it was Walter Matthau versus Robert Shaw in 1974), it succeeds very well.