The Taking of Pelham 123
starring John Travolta, Denzel Washington, Luis Gusmán, John Turturro and James Gandolfini
written by Brian Helgeland
directed by Tony Scott
Rating: ♦◊◊◊◊
Based on the novel by John Godey, this is a re-make of the 1974 movie directed by Joseph Sargent and starring Walter Mathau and Robert Shaw. I re-watched the original before watching this one. The original is a little old, but it still stands up pretty well, and this re-make is no improvement at all. Thieves highjack a New York City subway car and hold the passengers hostage for ransom inside a subway tunnel. Being inside a tunnel seems to put them in a trap, but they have a cool escape planned. New Yorklooks a little cleaner than it did in the 1970’s, which quite possibly is accurate. I like John Travolta. I think that since the death of David Carradine Travolta is the uncontested coolest man alive. But he injects too much over-the-top mental weirdness into his character, originally played by Robert Shaw with greater sinister malice.