The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009)
Genre: Thriller / Action
Duration: 106 minuten
Country:
United States / United Kingdom
Directed by: Tony Scott
Stars: Denzel Washington, John Travolta and James Gandolfini
IMDb score:
6,4 (219.387)
Releasedate: 10 June 2009
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 plot
"I can't get it out of my head. I'm gonna die today."
A group of criminals led by Ryder (John Travolta) hijacks the New York subway 'Pelham 1 2 3' and demands a huge ransom of 10 million dollars. Ryder wants this amount in his possession within an hour or else a passenger will die every minute after the deadline. Supervisor Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) tries to deceive the criminals with his knowledge of the subway, but has no idea what escape route they have in mind.
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Actors and actresses
Walter Garber
Ryder
Lt. Camonetti
Phil Ramos
Mayor
John Johnson
Jerry Pollard, motorman
George, teen hostage
George's Girlfriend
Mother-hostage
Reviews & comments
Shadowed
-
- 12047 messages
- 7048 votes
respectable.
Scott is sadly no longer with us, but that doesn't mean we can't watch his movies with a critical eye anymore. In my opinion Scott is a director who bets everything on the action genre and thriller genre. And he succeeds reasonably well in that, but this film also does something wrong.
To start on a positive note, the film is very well shot. Intense, gray and realistic filmed with strong and atmospheric camera work and convincing sets. There is enough pace and a reasonable dose of tension to keep it all entertaining as well.
Washington is an actor that Scott liked to use, but in the end he doesn't make much of an impression either, unfortunately. It's a respectable lead, and not too tough a role for Washington, but ultimately his talents don't quite come across.
Also a mistake is Travolta. He's an over-energetic villain who's just a little too typical. In general, he's not bad as an actor, but as a villain and hostage, I can't take him seriously, unfortunately. He looks too typical and too little threat.
Moreover, the "types" are the element that kills the film a bit. Everyone who is bad looks so ridiculously "bad" and those who are good have to look so innocent again. In a film that looks so realistic, this is a killer.
And although the pace is high and there are intense moments here and there, the tension didn't work very well. It is brought quickly, but partly due to the role of Travolta and the directing that is not brutal enough, the tension does not come into its own, unfortunately.
But, to be fair, the film is well shot. Cinematography and camera work are impressive and the action is strong at times. The movie isn't bad at all, but the characters are too much of a stretch unfortunately.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Sergio Leone
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- 4501 messages
- 3182 votes
Not too good.
Typical Tony Scott movie with all its tricks. I don't like it that much, although I have to admit that the part in the metro starts pretty well. However, after a while it gets a bit boring and the ending misses the mark completely.
Denzel Washington plays Denzel Washington. In itself I think he is a good actor, but the man has not chosen much variation in roles throughout his career. John Travolta does it again as he always plays the bad guy: as arrogant as possible with that big head of his. Never been a fan of it and then such an average action movie as this quickly becomes a lot less.
2
Translated from Dutch · View original
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