By Brad Memberto/Staff Writer/bmemberto@santamariatimes.com
John Travolta stars in the action thriller "The Taking of Pelham 123." / Columbia Pictures
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The 1973 novel “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” by Morton Freedgood, under the pseudonym John Godey, has been made into two movies in the past.
Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw led the cast in the 1974 film, while Edward James Olmos and Vincent D’Onofrio co-starred in a TV movie in 1998.
So was it necessary for action director Tony Scott to make it again in 2009?
Well, if you can get Denzel Washington and John Travolta to agree to star in it, I would say yes.
Slightly renamed for 2009, “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” is a fun ride in which a director with experience in the genre does a nice job with the action.
It is a good mix of intense action, high drama and good tension.
Scott has worked with Washington three times before — in “Crimson Tide” (1995), “Man On Fire” (2004) and “Deja Vu” (2006). And in this latest effort, he is able to get the maximum out of a less-showy role for the Oscar winner.
Washington plays Walter Garber, a transit supervisor who is under investigation for corruption. While the probe is being conducted, he is assigned to working at the dispatcher desk.
It is there he comes into contact with Ryder, played by John Travolta.
Ryder and his gang have taken over the front car of a subway line, and are holding several passengers hostage. The gang will release the hostages if they get their ransom in one hour, but will kill them one by one for every minute the ransom is late.
Travolta is very good as the unhinged leader of the gang. He is much smarter than he is initially thought to be, and turns out to be in complete control of the situation.
There is one school of thought that Travolta is more of a personality than an actor. I am not of that school. I think he is a good actor who has done some great work over the years. And in “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3,” Travolta is excellent.
He is given some great dialogue in the screenplay by Brian Helgeland, an Oscar winner for adapted screenplay (“L.A. Confidential” in 1997) who had worked with Scott before with “Man On Fire” and also wrote “Mystic River” in 2003.
There are several humorous lines that help break the tension just at the right times.
Garber is a man with many flaws, but in the hands of a great actor like Washington, you come to understand and relate to his actions and reactions.
John Turturro plays Camonetti, a hostage negotiator who is turned into a helpless bystander by Ryder, and James Gandolfini is the mayor who is caught up in the ordeal. Both actors are very good in small but pivotal roles. A fine character actor, Luis Guzman is not given much to do as Mr. Green, one of the hijackers.
The pacing is good and never seems forced. The finale is somewhat predictable but is not a major disappointment. The New York City exteriors are gritty and well used.
“The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” is not a great movie. But it is entertaining, and it features two Hollywood heavyweights at the top of their games.
THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123
RATED: R (for violence and pervasive language
RUNNING TIME: 1 hour, 35 minutes
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