THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123 3.0***(but barely) To some, “The Taking of Pelham” will be like 1,2,3…to others it will be more like 1,2,3….4.5….6,7,8…….9,10….. For the former, a taut, suspenseful action movie …for the others a slow, talkie-talkie movie with intermittent action often only for action’s sake. I fell somewhere in between… a 1, 2, 3, 4.

Denzel Washington plays Walter Garber, a subway dispatcher in the New York City subway's control center. When Garber notices that the Pelham 123 train has stopped for seemingly no reason, he radios the driver and discovers that the train and its passengers have been taken hostage. A team of ex-cons led by a man who identifies himself as Ryder (John Travolta) is demanding $10 million within one hour in exchange for the 19 hostages. If there's a delay, Ryder threatens to kill one hostage for each minute that the money's late. Garber’s no hostage negotiator, but Ryder refuses to talk to anyone else. This film is a remake of the 1974 version starring Walter Matthau, as the Garber type, and Robert Shaw, as the Ryder. The filmmakers took some liberties with the story, which enhanced and made it more suspenseful.

Washington and Travolta deliver engaging performances. Playing a relatively low-key, almost geeky civil servant is an interesting change of pace for Washington. Travolta is terrifying as a disturbingly intelligent crook. In fact, “Pelham’s” strength lies in the fascinating battle of words and wits in this Washington vs. Travolta match-up…. the simple civil servant against the crazed, tattooed villain. They are great together, whether side by side or on the other end of a microphone. You cannot deny the craft of Denzel and his ability to become a character. As for Mr. Travolta, although he may be over-the-top in his portrayal—he is having fun and plays the bad guy perfectly.

What this film does have over its predecessor is action, and a helluva lot more of it. This is to be expected since Tony Scott is the director…and action is his specialty. It's really hard to explain the action without giving the story away, so I'll just say that if you are an action fan, there is plenty enough to satisfy you. The cinematography is also great, seeing as scenes between the hostages and the subway operator are intertwined with scenes of action on the city streets and wonderful broad shots of the city.

All in all, “Pelham” may not be a great movie but is, in most respects, an entertaining remake. The has action sequences may not always be pertinent but they are, nonetheless, fun to watch. So the ride this movie takes you on is worth paying to go through the turnstiles once but not good enough to justify a return trip.

Clark