Ain’t as boring as the previous version (i.e. the 1974 movie).
Folks, that’s the best we can say about the new Taking of Pelham 1 2 3.
Frenetic
Give us Denzel Washington and John Travolta over Walter Matthau and Robert ‘Mr.Blue’ Shaw.
Any day, sir. Any day.
The new movie has a frenetic energy that the 1974 film utterly lacked.
While watching the old movie recently, we constantly wondered ‘did a subway train really get hijacked?’
No, that question didn’t come up in our mind. Not once, with this version.
That’s not to say the makers of the new Pelham 1 2 3 have covered themselves with glory.
Still Not Good Enough
Denzel Washington and John Travolta carry off their roles of a subway dispatcher and leader of the criminals respectively with aplomb.
As Ryder (that’s with a ‘Y’ as they say in the movie), John Travolta has a likable, unhinged viciousness that the cold-blooded Mr. Blue from 1974 lacked.
And there’s widgetry like cell phones, Internet and laptops that were obviously not there in the older movie. Hey, that movie was made 35-years back.
But neither the better performances nor the updated widgetry nor the faster pace are enough to make this a must watch film.
Like the blur of the subway train as it hurtles through the Manhattan tunnel, this is a movie that blurs through our consciousness. Not leaving much of an impact when the lights come up. Continue reading »
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