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The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 |
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| 2009-06-12 | ||
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Rating: R — for violence and pervasive language We wake in the morning unsure of what we’ll encounter throughout our travels. We think we have our days planned pretty well, when out of the blue things change. They become tragic, adventurous, alarming and even fatal. Why? Because, man plans and God laughs.
Could Scott do it? Walter Garber, humbled and demoted from his position as a VP for the MTA and under investigation, dispatches the trains as they come thought the grimy NYC tunnels. On his fate filled morning, the #6 train is hijacked and 18 people are held hostage as the rest are let go. “Ryder”, (John Travolta) introduces himself to Walter as the hijacker and leader of a group of men who will kill hostages on the spot if he orders them to. And they do. There’s no question that he’s serious. As predictable as you can suspect, he begins to spout his demands followed by an impossible deadline. We later find out that he’s a white collar criminal with some bitterness and hatred for the people and city of New York and feels that they owe him. Trademarked by Tony Scott are his fast-paced camera moves, the intensity of the trains and bold colors, which I love, but I was so bored with the acting, it didn’t captivate me at all nor did it make me want the next scene. However, the action scenes were great. The profanity took me by complete surprise, but they lost me way before that and I wanted so much to like and enjoy this film. John Travolta’s character was too reminiscent and overboard homage of his characters in “Face-Off” and “Sword Fish”. He was cold, nonchalant and a bit sadistic in his ability to take life. Some of his lines were very corny and over the top. He tried too hard; it was both comedic and sad. He has more depth and range. Denzel gave too much of his character in “16 Blocks,” however, as an ordinary guy thrust into an extraordinary situation, he’s believable. A little heavier than we’re used to seeing him, you related to him. You understand his fear and hesitation and that sometimes desperate men do desperate things. His livelihood is threatened and he’s offered a chance to become a better man making better choices; despite the cost. The moment’s that were genuine between the two revealed a pseudo-relationship developing between dispatcher and criminal. They exchange some personal stories, religious beliefs, and negotiations. Ryder sentimentally says, “You may be the last friend I make on earth.” At another point during their dialogue Ryder says, “All this talk about God makes me want to pray.” After which he says, “I talked to God and He says to trust in Him, all others must pay in cash.” Conversations like this kept Ryder’s actions unpredictable. When hostage negotiator John Camanetti (John Turturro) arrives to defuse the situation, he seems to make things worse. We’ve all seen this movie before where the bad guy seems willing to latch on to someone they twist up in their craziness and no one else is afforded entrance. Camanetti is relegated to coaching Walter through his new relationship with the bad guy. The large ransom demanded by Ryder, can only be delivered by the Mayor of New York (James Gandolfini). The number is so large that at one point Walter asks, “Is this about the money?” Ryder says, is there anything else? Gandolfini is a Mayor Bloomberg type who rides the subways with the ordinary folk and makes Rudy Giuliani jokes. When given an opportunity to become the hero and gain redemption for his past sins, Walter agrees to deliver the ransom to Ryder in the dark and dirty tunnels of NYC alone with no police. Several times in the film plans, ideas and scenes were introduced then dropped and never heard from again. Needless to say, I didn’t enjoy this film. If you’re John Travolta and Denzel Washington fans, check it out, however, if you’re looking for a great story, you may want to wait on this one, it will not satisfy you at all. |
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Synopsis: In “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3”, Denzel Washington stars as New York City subway dispatcher Walter Garber, whose ordinary day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train. John Travolta stars as Ryder, the criminal mastermind who, as leader of a highly-armed gang of four, threatens to execute the train's passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour. As the tension mounts beneath his feet, Garber employs his vast knowledge of the subway system in a battle to outwit Ryder and save the hostages. But there's one riddle Garber can't solve: even if the thieves get the money, how can they possibly escape? 
When Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) arrived at work as a MTA dispatcher, he could have never predicted the turn of events that await him nor how his day would end. Based on the 1975 film, “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three”, director Tony Scott knew that bringing together two of Hollywood’s finest would bolster interest, but to those of us who loved the original, he had quite a pair of shoes to fill with his offering. The action, excitement and thrill of this film in the 70’s made this an all-time classic.