As someone who has the entire David Shire soundtrack of the original 1974 version of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three on his iPod, the idea that such a landmark of New York cinema would be remade — and directed by Tony (Domino) Scott, no less — seems like sacrilege. The original film is a love letter to municipal dysfunction, to the men who kept New York running, sipping bad coffee, acquiring deep, puffy bags under their eyes, wearing uncomfortable polyester slacks, and earning lousy pay for the whole privilege. What would Tony Scott bring to this material, other than hyperactive editing, slick cinematography, and a whole lot of commercial calculation?Well, in fact, he acquits himself better than I expected him to. Is the opening blast of Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” even one-third as bracing as David Shire’s brassy main title from the original? Does he come up with an ending that can even hold a candle to the original’s beautiful closing shot of Walter Matthau, opening a door for a second time, shaking his head at how close the crook on the other side came to getting away. Does the script even contain a single line of dialogue as memorable as Dick O’Neill’s reaction when he hears that an armed gang has taken an entire subway car hostage: “Screw the goddamn passengers! What the hell did they expect for their lousy 35 cents — to live forever?” No, no, and definitely, no, but taken on its own terms, this shiny new Pelham is a perfectly enjoyable summer thriller. And what the hell did you expect for your lousy 10 bucks — an all-time classic?
Denzel Washington takes over the Walter Matthau role as Garber, the train dispatcher who has to negotiate over the radio with the gangleader in the subway car. Even with some extra padding around his middle, Washington is clearly a movie star playing an “ordinary Joe” — but unlike many movie stars, Washington seems to genuinely enjoy engaging with his co-stars and playing off their energy, and he gets a good rhythm going over the airwaves with John Travolta, who’s in full, flamboyant, hambone Broken Arrow/Swordfish bad guy mode here. He’s great fun to watch, although his performance doesn’t leave a lot of room for the other actors in his gang, including Luis Guzmán, to make much of an impression.
The film’s premise requires Washington and Travolta to spend pretty much the entire movie in separate locations, and it’s too bad Scott and screenwriter Brian Helgeland don’t come up with any interesting business for the two adversaries when they finally meet. The one frisson is purely visual and possibly accidental: Washington’s left ear is pierced with a small diamond stud, and Travolta wears an earring too, this one shaped like a cross. And when the two men finally stand face to face, their earrings sparkle at each other.
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