The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3: Review By harveycritic

THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123

Columbia Pictures

Reviewed for MovieWeb by Harvey Karten

Grade: B

Directed by: Tony Scott

Written By: Brian Helgeland from John Godey’s novel

Cast: Denzel Washington, John Travolta, Luis Guzman, Victor Gojcaj, John Turturro, James Gandolfini, Michael Ripoli

Screened at: AMC Lincoln Square, NYC, 6/8/09

Opens: June 12, 2009

Every so often the Metropolitan Transit Authority here in New York takes a poll of passengers, who are asked about their complaints and their compliments. Cleanliness, decent scheduling, service, and the like are on the questionnaire. Some people complain about the shabbier trains, but I considered the #6, that rides on the Lexington Line local track, to be worse than the others in dependability. Nobody agreed with me, but they’re now going to see that I’m right, that is, if they watch Tony Scott’s “The Taking of Pelham 123.” You don’t want to be on this line, the proverbial wrong place at the wrong time.

And is 123 ever a wrong time! Thank goodness New York has not experienced anything like full-scale subway mayhem: we can sit back and enjoy the many thrills and chills without a tragic memory of a real event that would threaten the lives of over a dozen passengers. Like Joseph Sargent’s 1974 version pitting stationmaster Lt. Garber, played by Walter Matthau against a diabolical thug named Blue, played by Robert Shaw, Scott’s version takes place in the New York City subways, the second longest such underground transportation system after London’s. This time, though, Brian Helgeland’s scripting, which he adapts from John Godey’s novel, is wittier, sharper than the ’74 incarnation by Peter Stone; and the ethnic slurs are just about nonexistent. Though nowadays we’re in a deflationary economy, with prices on many commodities discounted and with New York City crying poverty, the perps, headed by Ryder (John Travolta), are asking not for a million dollars, which would be laughable considering the risks, but ten million. And Ryder, who is not the type to give extensions on his deadline of one hour to deliver the cash in 100’s, is in no mood to wait for President Obama to bail the city out and save the passengers.

Luckily, Ryder loves to talk and is taken by his conversation with station-master Walter Garber (Denzel Washington), particularly because Ryder has discovered by googling (not available in 1974) that Garber is himself an accused criminal, one who has been demoted from a top MTA job to one running just the Lexington line because he may have taken a bride from Japan. After decoupling the long Pelham 123 line, so-called because it departs from the Bronx station at 1:23 p.m., Ryder holds the conductor and about seventeen passengers hostage. If the money does not turn up in one hour, he threatens to shoot one hostage every minute beyond that time. And he has proven that he means what he says.

The trio helping Ryder, which include Luis Guzman as Phil Ramos, have little to say or do: Ryder is a handful by himself as he alternately screams obscenities and threatens, laughs, and spars good-naturedly with Garber. For his part, Garber is both helped and hindered by Camonetti (John Turturro), who is a hostage negotiator dealing with a psycho criminal who knows the tricks, and the city’s mayor James Gandolfini), a combination Giuliani and Bloomberg in that he is doing his job for a dollar a year—which, after taxes, is eighty-seven cents according to the number-sharp Ryder.

Ryder stands to make quite a lot more than the ten million, or whatever his split works out to be—and that’s one of the segments in the hyper-noisy, car-crashing, helicopter-flying, action-adventure picture that will be appreciated by adults in the audience, particularly those who read the Wall Street Journal and can understand that a man can make hundreds of millions in a down market.

John Travolta, given a number of extreme close-ups by photographer Tobias Schliessler in a picture that sports Chris Lebenzon’s frantic editing, Nathan McGuinness’s visual effects, and Churck Picerni’s stunt coordination, is terrific in the role of a man who is like an out-of-control child who throws a tantrum one minute, then exhibits a broad grin the next. What’s not believable is his thuggish attire—leather jacket and extremely dark shades, which would make him a standout for the scores of police cars and a chopper looking for the mad but clever criminal.

Like all good villains (and playing villains is almost always a bigger challenge than performing as a saint), he has some clever anecdotes for Garber, including one about a woman he once took on a six-hour trip to Iceland. The movie travels on all-cylinders until the final climactic moments, where it goes off track, all credibility is thrown to the wind. And a special effect known as step-framing during what should be the tensest moments in the story prevents the speeding train from looking as terrifying as it should. But why complain? The picture was shot in New York, which can use all the money it can get from filmmakers who so often scout cheaper areas in Canada.

Rated R. 106 minutes. © 2009 by Harvey Karten Member: NY Film Critics Online