Review: The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

Synopsis

A gang led by Ryder (John Travolta) hijacks a New York City Subway Train 6 full of passengers, demanding $10,000,000 in ransom money. NYC Metro Train Dispatcher, Walter Gerber (Denzel Washington) is forced by Ryder to negotiate the ransom and simultaneously, under the guidance of NYPD Negotiations specialist Lt. Camonetti (John Turturro), he must keep Ryder under control, while facing moral dilemmas of his own.

Dissection

This is a remake of a 1974 thriller of the same name. In the original, Walter Gerber was played by Walter Matthau, and instead of a train dispatcher, Gerber was a cop. Ryder, the hijacker, was a British mercenary looking to score serious dough. Ryder was played by Robert Shaw. The original (available on video), was a crime thriller similar to The French Connection, with frantic action scenes and a strong focus on the tension. Director Tony Scott and screen writers Brian Helgeland and David Koepp have updated The Taking of Pelham 123, giving us a different angle to the relationship between Gerber and Ryder, and also attempting to give the story to a contemporary twist in order to keep the audience interested.

In the 2009 version, Gerber is an everyday man, chubby, out of shape and swarmed with debt (Kudos to Washington for gaining weight for the role). He has been recently demoted due to suspicions by NYC officials that he took bribes from a train manufacturer. The bulk of the story is focused on the rapport development between Gerber and Ryder. Ryder makes Gerber his liaison with the authorities, and the more he interacts with our hero, he more he likes him. Both characters engage in quid-pro-quo negotiations, as one demands the other to reveal personal details about each other. This ploy is used to slowly unveil who Ryder really is and his motivations for the heist. The screenplay’s dialogue very fluid and well done, as Gerber tries to keep Ryder under Control, and in turn, Ryder attempts to make Gerber his accomplice.

As the story heavily focuses on the psychological exchange between Gerber and Ryder, it fails to convey much tension, because Ryder comes along as a “likable” villain. The story makes us care about Gerber and his moral dilemmas, but not so much about the hostages on the train. The screenwriters make a fair attempt to balance the victims’ stories. However, since Ryder and his gang are not threatening enough, their “pending doom” is not too convincing. The action scenes involving the delivery of the $10,000,000 fail to amuse and does not provide the tension the film needs. Also the “Artsy Style” of these scenes is unnecessary and distracting. This style is very typical of some Tony Scott films, such as “Domino” and “Man on Fire”. Technical aspects such as sound editing and photography were good.

Overall, this is an unnecessary update on a 1970’s film. As I mentioned above, the producers attempt to update the story using the down-turn of the economy and post 9/11 paranoia as a backdrop for this story. The film lacks tension, as Ryder is humanized. In my opinion, if a film is to be tense, bad guys need to be dislikable SOBs. The only highlight of this movie is the interactions between Gerber and Ryder as Denzel Washington and John Travolta display very good chemistry. This is the sort of movie I would watch on TV on a boring Sunday afternoon. Rent the original and save $10.00 this weekend.

This film gets a C, as it feels incomplete.