Movie review: The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 - 9.5 out of 10

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 rates a 9.5 out of 10. As usual, this review will be as spoiler-free as possible. Let’s look at the Good, the Bad, and the Bottom Line.


The Good

Tony Scott has another directorial masterpiece starring Denzel Washington. Their previous collaborations include Déjà vu, Man on Fire, and Crimson Tide. Scott’s style is apparent once again with some really cool cinematography. For example, there is a scene when a helicopter is flying over New York City and there are some very nifty “blur” or “blend” effects. It’s tough to describe, but keep that in the back of your mind as you watch the film and you’ll see when you get to that part. This is just one example of many classic “Tony Scott stylized” scenes in this film. Watching these scenes brought back thoughts of Déjà vu when the computer technicians were controlling the “time viewing” computer and whipping around a room, looking at it from all sides. Or, the satellite view scenes from Enemy of the State.

The dialogue was terrific and the writing team should get all the credit here. Both John Travolta and Denzel Washington delivered these lines brilliantly, but the movie wouldn’t be half as good without some fantastic writing. There is just enough comic relief to ease the non-stop tension of the film, but not enough to turn an intense thriller into a campy cliché-fest. And make no mistake about it, the film is very intense from the moment Travolta and his crew make their first move, and this happens pretty close to the beginning of the movie.

This is one of John Travolta’s best performances. The criminal he plays is brilliant, and a master of “controlled chaos.” After seeing the film, there is no one else who could have pulled off the character as well as he did.

The film really is excellent all around and is the surprise smash of the summer.


The Bad

The only thing to mention here is the issue of “Movie Time” versus “Real Time.” We have come to expect that movies do not usually occur in “real time.” If they do they are usually advertised as such and make it obvious throughout the film, like Johnny Depp in Nick of Time. Pelham 1 2 3 was certainly not a “real time” movie and there were some places it was obvious. For example, if a character has, we’ll say 5 minutes to get to a place several miles or more away, in reality you would be jumping out of your chair and sprinting; like Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson in Die Hard With a Vengeance. Instead, this film chooses to show more character development, showing people pondering intensely about the situation for a while. There were even times when they would stand around talking to each other or on a cell phone while the clock is ticking. In most cases, “movie time” is not an issue and usually goes by virtually unnoticed. But, Pelham received some minor deductions for this being a bit obvious.


The Bottom Line

See this film in the theaters at your earliest convenience. It is just that good.