Friday, June 19, 2009

Quick thoughts on "The Taking of Pelham 123"


Ah, Tony Scott. It must be hard being the lesser brother of Ridley. Where your brother has directed numerous box office hits and Oscar winners, you've given audiences numerous average and even sub-par action films, year after year. Domino, Deja Vu, and now "The Taking of Pelham 123", a remake of a 70s action thriller. Though most of the heavy lifting is placed on more than capable leads Denzel Washington and John Travolta, the dialogue between the two either fails to be truly intriguing, or becomes rather routine. So despite expert sound crafting and some vivid lighting and camera work, "Pelham" is overall just too routine to build much suspense. We've seen a lot of these story arcs before, and despite a funny supporting turn from James Gandolfini, there just isn't enough here to truly electrify us. It's certainly loud enough to keep you awake, but that's about it. Better luck next time Mr. Scott.

Grade: C

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