"The Taking Of Pelham 123" is a remake of a novel by John Godey. The original was made in 1974 and starred Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Hector Elizondo, Earl Hindman, and Lee Wallace. The premise remains the same - four armed men hijack a New York City subway train. Their only contact with the outside world is Walter Garber (played by Denzel Washington), a NYC Transit official. The gang's leader, Ryder (played by John Travolta), gives him an ultimatum - ten million dollars in one hour...or hostages will be excecuted.
As usual, Washington and Travolta turn in excellent performances. Washington's Garber is a man facing demons of his own...and is now faced with huge responsibility. Travolta plays Ryder with his usual manic flair...but like Garber, there is more to him than there appears. An excellent supporting cast includes Luis Guzman, John Turturro, and James Gandolfini as the Mayor of New York (nice to see Tony Soprano found work after the mob!).
You would like to learn a little more about some of the characters in the story...but they do fill you in on just enough that you don't leave the theater scratching your head in confusion. The original was good...but I actually believe this was better. And yes...I did see the original!!!
A tense thrill-ride from start to finish, don't miss the train for "Pelham 123".
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