Starring: Denzel Washington, John Travolta, James Gandolfini
Director: Tony Scott (Man on Fire, Top Gun)
Running Time: 1 hr 45 min
Release Date: June 16, 2009
Budget: $100 million
Critics’ Thumbs Up: 53 %
“It’s a first-class ride.” Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
“…bracingly awful…” Nathan Rabin, The Onion (A.V. Club)
This suspenseful remake of the 1974 classic about a hijacked New York City subway train is loaded with dynamic visuals and outlandish action sequences, but it’s smarter than most summer action flicks. Previously played by Walter Matthau, Washington gives a solid performance as a demoted subway dispatcher who frantically works to stop a villainous ex-con (an over-the-top Travolta in Robert Shaw’s role) who’s threatening to kill passengers if he doesn’t get $10 million in 60 minutes. Though the hijacker’s crew and the passengers are ignored, Scott succeeds in providing a fast-paced ride that throws in multifaceted backstories for the protagonists, techno-savvy special effects and a timely underlying theme involving the financial crisis.
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
Starring: Denzel Washington, John Travolta, James GandolfiniDirector: Tony Scott (Man on Fire, Top Gun)Running Time: 1 hr 45 minRelease Date: June 16, 2009Budget: $100 millionCritics’ Thumbs Up: 53 %“It’s a first-class ride.” Peter Travers, Rolling Stone“…bracingly awful…” Nathan Rabin, The Onion (A.V. Club)This suspenseful remake of the 1974 classic about a hijacked New York City subway train is loaded with dynamic visuals and outlandish action sequences, but it’s smarter than most summer action flicks. Previously played by Walter Matthau, Washington gives a solid performance as a demoted subway dispatcher who frantically works to stop a villainous ex-con (an over-the-top Travolta…
