'The Taking of Pelham 123' is not a bad film: it's ponderous and shallow, but always watchable. But what it crucially fails to do, especially in the light of its illustrious predecessor, is justify its own existence.
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
I can't get it out of my head. I'm gonna die today.
2009 · 1h 46m · R
Action, Crime, Thriller
Directed by
Tony Scott
Overview
Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day's work for dispatcher Walter Garber into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime.
Director and cast
- Tony Scott Director
- Denzel Washington as Walter Garber
- John Travolta as Ryder
- Luis Guzmán as Phil Ramos
- John Turturro as Lt. Camonetti
- Victor Gojcaj as Bashkim
- James Gandolfini as Mayor
- Michael Rispoli as John Johnson
- Gary Basaraba as Jerry Pollard, motorman
- Ramón Rodríguez as Delgado
- Alex Kaluzhsky Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
Can a director be arrested for the attempted hijack of our emotions?
Washington demonstrates his really remarkable ability to make us forget he's a movie star and completely believe he's a flawed but noble civil servant.
I was really disappointed by this.
Whereas the original, directed by Joseph Sargent, was essentially a well-oiled B movie, the new incarnation, directed by Tony Scott, is bristling with high-tech gimcrackery and over-the-top camera flourishes.
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