The
original film, The Taking of Pelham 123 was a dark and gritty tale, but most
importantly, it was clever and original.
The 2009 remake of the film falls victim to the fact that anyone who has seen the
original will know the basic storyline, in much the same way as we all knew how Titanic would pan out. Nevertheless, as with any pudding, the proof is very much in the eating, or watching in this case. Having Denzel cast as the tired and bewildered lead gives this Tony Scott directed vehicle a head start. Washington must surely be one of the safest pair of hands in the business, and as he matures in age and wisdom, so too does his weighty skills as an actor. We like him from the start and most
importantly, his ordinary man persona is very likeable. In contrast, we have John Travolta playing a bad guy yet again. Although he spends most of the film confined to the cab of an underground train, he ends up with far too much dialogue and not enough action. The film mirrors the original in many parts, but throws up a different and perhaps more lacklustre ending, but overall it does not deliver on the entertainment front. In a post 9/11 world the audience will find it hard to swallow that a train load of hostages would be left to sweat it out in the dark recesses of the New York subway, while a disgruntled radio dispatcher carries there only chance of reprieve. Maybe this story needed a few more twists and turns and some more things blowing up to really set it apart.