When it comes to Hollywood and their remake craze, I have a real sense of wonder as to just how long this will go on. Then I remember that Hollywood hasn't had an original idea in many many years. I'm just glad that the have not remade The Wiz. Yet. In the latest film to be so honored with a new updated remake is "The Taking Of Pelham 123" unfortunately this new faster paced thriller is stuck in the tunnel. The premise is the same as both the 1974 movie and the 1998 television movie. At least we don't have Donnie Wahlberg running around again.
Armed men take over the main car and take several people hostage, the number is much lower than it could have been, the gunmen release the last couple of cars and keep only the nineteen hostages that are on the first car. Ryder or Mr. Blue (John Travolta) is a man who knows just how to play the system, he will use this cunning to ransom the hostages back to the city of New York for just over ten million dollars. He is aware of a little know fact that the Mayor (James Gandolfini) can just make a phone call and the treasury will make available ransom money, up to ten million dollars. This is just one of the ludicrous things this movie tries to shove at us. The man running the switchboard is Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) who is under investigation himself, it is thought he took a bribe from the Japanese manufacturer of train cars to ensure that their company gets the contract for the state of New York. Ryder is able to find this information out, two ways, one of his partners is Phil Ramos, Mr. Green (Luis Guzmán) who recognizes his voice and the fact that they place wi-fi receivers in the train tunnels, so they can follow their own exploits, which Ryder uses to search Garbers name on line.
The hostages are all standard Hollywood mishmash we get the strong silent type, Wallace (Gbenga Akinnagbe) who is a member of the special forces group, Airborne. Wallace will heroically sacrifice himself to save the life of another passenger, we have a mother (Katherine Sigismund) and her eight year old son (Jake Richard Siciliano), there is also a Mr. Thomas (Jason Butler Harner) who appears just to say he has to use the bathroom, we have the trains two conductors, Jerry Pollard (Gary Basaraba) and Regina (Tonye Patano). the last couple of gunmen are also standard Hollywood bad guys as well, the dark broody type who have so little to say, they just point their weapons and squeeze the trigger. The Mr. grey Character is now named Bashkim (Victor Gojcaj) and Mr. Brown is now Emri (Robert Vataj). Did we really need this change to make us not like these characters? They are the bad guys, of course we wouldn't like them.
Garber is at first questioned by Detective Camonetti (John Turturro) who thinks maybe Garber is in on the whole deal, when Garber's boss, John Johnson (Michael Rispoli) mentions that Garber is manning the desk because he has been suspended, with pay, mind you. When Ryder gets Garber to confess to the bribe, Camonetti becomes Garbers friend. What? Why would this make a difference? This remake is just the standard bad guy takes hostages, demands money, makes demands that are insane then makes his preplanned getaway, all except for the fact that he leaves behind a man that he has angered, one who has a gun, although it appears to change types and colors a few times its still a weapon that Garber will use to take the law into his own hands and avenges the dead hostage. Yes that's all, one hostage. The plot is weak on several points not just the lack of any real BAD guy, Travolta tries to make Ryder a bad ass but he comes off as more loony than mean. There is not any real moment that makes the viewer go AHHHH or even OHHH. Disappointing from the get go, and the ending is one of the most absurd in along time, I for one was waiting for a plot twist that would have maybe redeemed this bore but no, we get nothing, except for the milk.
On my avoidance scale I give The Taking Of Pelham 123 a 1, and on my standard scale I give it a 2 and for 3 better movies to see this summer I give you, 1 Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen, 2 Public Enemies for Denise and 3 H2 yes a Rob Zombie movie is on my most anticipated list.
The Taking Of Pelham 123 is rated R for Violence and Pervasive Language
Running time is 1 hr. 35 mins.
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