The Taking of Pelham 123 (Denzel Washington, John Travolta) — It has been 35 years since the original movie starring Walter Matthau, Martin Balsam and Robert Shaw. I saw it and enjoyed it but hardly remember it, which makes it a perfect choice for a remake. The premise is the same. Bad guys take over a subway train in the Big Apple for a seemingly clear reason — money. On the other hand, hijacking a subway seems like an odd way to collect a ransom (even if they did the same thing in Money Train).
The twist here is the maniac taking over the subway is mysterious, devious and coolly violent in a manner similar to the off-his-rocker pilot who stole the nuke in Broken Arrow. It’s no coincidence that John Travolta plays both characters. Somewhere along the line Vinny Barbarino and Danny Zuko starting playing really bad guys in movies like Broken Arrow and Face-Off. This is Travolta at his evil best. The poor working stiff at the other end of the microphone of the train is Walter Garber, played by Oscar winner and actor extraordinaire Denzel Washington. The two strike up both a conversation and a relationship. But Denzel’s character is complicated, too. He is under investigation for taking a bribe. And Travolta’s character, Ryder, is more than a one-dimensional louse, too. He was once a civil servant, too.
With a strong supporting cast, Pelham 123 is a taut drama from action director Tony Scott (Enemy of the State, and three Washington vehicles, Crimson Tide, Man on Fire and Deja Vu) that kept me interested and engaged for all two hours. Any more, that’s unusual. While the story is good, it’s the actors who make it work, particularly once the two come together as Denzel delivers the ransom money. This is a first-rate thriller albeit with some improbable and stupid coincidences at the end. Enjoy the two actors and this fine remake.