Review of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009) by Filipeneto — 02 Sep 2019

A good Denzel, an acceptable Travolta, some action and a mediocre script.

It was with little expectation that I saw this movie, since I already guessed that, being a pure action movie, it would not be particularly remarkable. I didn't know it was a remake of an older movie, nor did I bother to see that movie because I didn't even find it.

The movie basically talks about a hostage situation inside a New York subway carriage. Nothing original, we've seen better things in other movies. There are dead, there are innocent victims, there are good doses of action for those looking for it, but there is no firm plot behind it. What we have are basic premises that lead to the situation that is happening. There are two characters who stand out (the cynical and ruthless kidnapper leader and the innocent subway traffic technician he insists on negotiating) who dominate the film, and everything else boils down to action, an attempt of permanent tension where everyone's lives are at stake. But the tension is so artificial that I never truly felt it because it was already guessed that all, or almost all, would save themselves in the end.

Denzel Washington and John Travolta bring the film's central characters to life, and their relationship is truly strong and can keep audiences interested in what's going on. Proof of this are the careful and interesting dialogues between both characters. Travolta, nonetheless, is an actor who does not work hard, leaving the hard work to Denzel. The rest of the actors are doing what they can, but the material given to them is small and bad. James Gandolfini, John Turturro and others are strongly affected and I doubt they have fond memories of this movie.

Technically, the movie is regular, not to say rather mediocre. From this negative scenario, however, there is a very decent soundtrack that goes against what we expect in an action movie, and an interesting cinematography, with good light and shadow, the faded colors at the expense of greater camera movement. Effects that would have accentuated the audience's sense of discomfort ... if they had not already fallen asleep with the boring, predictable and slow script that is presented.