DVD Review

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009)

Reviewed by Chris Nashawaty | Oct 28, 2009

Chris Nashawaty

Chris Nashawaty is a senior writer for EW, and author of EW.com's DVD Insomniac column

Comments
Add your comment

EW's GRADE

B+

Details Release Date: Jun 12, 2009; Rated: R; DVD Release Date: Nov 03, 2009; Genre: Thriller; With: John Travolta and Denzel Washington; Distributor: Columbia Pictures

$BLAME IT ON THE TRAIN Denzel Washington is The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3\'s reluctant hero The Taking of Pelham 123, Denzel Washington$

Image credit: Rico Torres

BLAME IT ON THE TRAIN Denzel Washington is The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3's reluctant hero

Movie lovers have inexplicably strong   attachments to certain films. Take 1974's The Taking of Pelham One Two Three — a caper set in NYC when it was apparently a cesspool populated by slobby civil servants like Walter Matthau. Tony Scott's slick remake, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, scraps everything but the crackerjack premise: A psycho hijacks a subway train, holding passengers for ransom. Where the original was silly, Scott's take is suspenseful, due in part to Denzel Washington's weary dispatcher and John Travolta's neck-tattooed baddie. EXTRAS include making-of featurettes and a chatty commentary from Scott, who calls the original ''dumb.'' B+

See all of this week's reviews

Originally posted Oct 28, 2009 Published in issue #1074 Nov 06, 2009 Order article reprints

Comments
Add your comment

Movie Review The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
Movie Preview The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

Add your comment

The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.