Movie Review: The Taking of Pelham 123

Who says big budget summer movies starring major Hollywood stars have to be all about F/X or resemble video games? Why can't Denzel Washington transform himself into a slightly rumpled, coffee spilling city employee with ethical demerits on his dance card? Who says John Travolta doesn't look a little scary brandishing neck tattoos and a gun? These are just a few of the questions answered in this remake of the original film (which I've never seen) from 1974. So yes, there is more to "Pelham" than F/X, Denzel does manage to morph into his low key character with the greatest of ease and Travolta has some impressive and scene chewing moments tearing into his villainous role. Veteran action director Tony Scott does a good job of setting up the hostages in a subway car scenario with the lead actors bouncing off each other nicely despite actually sharing the screen for only a brief time. There are some nail biting moments as Travolta and his ruthless crew comandeer a New York City subway car, delivering a chilling ultimatum: Unless a ransom of millions is paid out within an hour, one hostage will be killed for every minute after the deadline. No idle threats here as hostages begin to bite the dust while unfortunate dispatcher Washington, who picked up the phone at the wrong time to receive the ransom call, struggles to control the situation.

Although there's much to like about this high drama movie, things fall apart towards the end. Scott suddenly pulls out all the stops and makes a serious mistake by removing the action from the claustrophobic subway car, throwing in a car chase, a car jacking and a silly confrontation with a SWAT team. The final scene of the film is not only completely unsatisfying but destroys any credibility the story and characters have maintained up to that point. It's always a pleasure to watch Denzel weave his magic with a rather interesting character but the script could have offered more about Travolta's angry psychopath and the supporting roles are little more than peripheral.

Things to love about this movie: As always, Denzel turns in a multidimensional performance despite some script restrictions; a few intriguing twists
Things to hate about this movie: Wonderful actor Luis Guzman is seriously underused in a throwaway character
Pleasant surprises: The terrific addition of modern technology as one hostage continues to communicate with his girlfriend via a laptop
Unpleasant surprises: An over-the-top ending that doesn't ring true; not enough Big Apple flavor; the usually excellent John Turturro didn't quite work for me here as the blandest hostage negotiator ever