------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall Rating : 6/10
Directed By : Tony Scott
Denzel Washington (American Gangster)
John Travolta (Hairspray (2007)
Luis Guzman (Fighting)
Victor Gojcaj
Supplied By : Sony Pictures
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : November. 3, 2009
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| PLOT Walter Garber is a New York City subway dispatcher whose ordinary day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train. Ryder, the criminal mastermind behind the hijacking and 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? |
||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| THE REVIEW In THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3, what at first seems to be a normal work day for recently demoted MTA Rail Control Center dispatcher Walter Garber, turns into an intense standoff with a criminal mastermind. A short time after 1:23PM, a man known as Ryder boards a subway 6 train headed out of Pelham Bay along with a gang of thugs, one of them in Ramos, who at one time worked in the rail system. The gang takes the train hostage, stalling it on the tracks, which raises concern with rail control. Walter Garber the control centers head dispatcher finally reaches Ryder whom demands a ransom of 10 million dollars to be delivered within the hour, and for every minute thereafter Ryder promises to kill at least one passenger or crew member. With time running out, everyone from law enforcement, to the Mayor gets involved - but ultimately, we find that Garber is the only one who can make the save. This film marks the third time in which the story of PELHAM 1 2 3 has been told, before this new remake directed by Tony Scott came the 1874 original staring Walter Matthau, which was followed by a Television remake, Not seeing either of the previous entries, the 2009 version of the story was a fresh start, for me and with a cast that list names like Travolta and Washington as the leads, I knew some great performances were in store, and that is exactly what is received here. For the most mart, the film is limited to a one-on-one basis between Washington and Travolta as they trade dialogue, and even though this might sound boring, it's actually not, as the two acting vets manage to keep your attention with their realistic portrayals of their respected characters. The plot itself hinges on a plot device, Ryder has demanded 10 million dollars from the New York City Mayor and has given whomever exactly one hour to deliver the ransom, and for every minute they are late, another hostage dies. This only managed to hold my interest, for the simple fact that I wondered where it would all lead to, and Scott does a pretty well-rounded job of keeping one's interest. Where other film's might've died down pace-wise, Scott keeps things going with his all to familiar signature style. As for THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3 being different from just about any disaster/terrorism flick, to tell the truth it really isn't, but none the less, it managed to keep my interest for a number of reasons. The acting in the film was well handled by all, especially by those you'd immediately rest the film's overall appeal upon, Denzel Washington and John Travolta. Travolta portrays his Ryder character as your typical troubled bad guy, he's not that intimidating, yet there is just enough "slimy-ness" about him that would likely convince most to root against him. Washington on the other hand is Walter Garber(I am guessing that the character's first name was changed from "Zachary" to "Walter" in tribute to Matthau), a mild mannered family man who was demoted to dispatcher after receiving a bribe from the Japanese to dismiss a Canadian manufacturer in favor of theirs. Washington portrays the role with low key realism and approach, reacting how one might act if being put in the very predicament in which he faces here. Besides the two leads there are also notable and credible performances from the likes of Luis Guzman, John Turturro and James Gandolfini as the New York City Mayor. THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3 is good for what it is, a fast paced action film, and can be enjoyed for being just that. Director Tony Scott shoots the film in a way that never lets up; from the seemingly never still camera, the frantic cuts and the over the top crashes and car chases, this film is one that aims to never give you a dull moment, a task that it almost succeeds in doing. But with this said, PELHAM is not without it's faults as it falls victim of Scott's own creativity. Over the course of his films Tony Scott has established a style for himself, that includes a multitude of camera tricks such as speeding the camera up and down and making fast jump cuts. This approach may be well and good, but not when it gets to the point where it feels overused, especially when used in scenes that don't really need the assistance of things, like say, slow motion or movement at the speed of light, but none the less, I suppose it serves it's purpose for the sake of the film's pacing. Another problem that I found, was that the film doesn't have the amount of suspense that it should have, As I said, Travolta's Ryder Character could've been amped up a little, and besides this, the hostage situation could've been better played. In the film the hostage characters are very thin in their development, we do not truly get introduced to them, which makes such action as one of them being killed almost meaningless. What the film eventually sets itself upon is the relationship developed between Garber and Ryder and so all of the build-up is poured into this area of the plot, while leaving other elements to suffer a bit. THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3 is a movie that I did enjoy, but could have enjoyed more. The action and the pacing is fast, but in the end, I think it could have used more development overall to even things out. |
||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| GORE
METER 4/10 Multiple gunshot wounds. |
||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| MUSICAL
SCORE 3.5/10 The film starts with Jay-Z's "99 Problems" and then ranges from high charged techno to soft piano tracks. |
||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM The plot behind THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3 is brilliant, but the way it's executed here doesn't succeed at it's fullest potential. The performances are great, as is some of the film's action, it's a good action movie, but it does have flaws that are present within it's core story. I think that this is a film likely to be enjoyed more for it's action alone, and not necessarily for it's story, nor it's characters. |
||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ||||
| STILLS | ||||
|
