John Travolta plays a criminal mastermind who takes control of a subway train midway through its normal run in “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3.” Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3 (Rated R)

That director Tony Scott, master of several landmark action films, has previously collaborated on six films with producer Jerry Bruckheimer, is abundantly clear as the result of “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3.”

The Bruckheimer effect, which can only be described as a full-frontal assault in the action genre, is on full display with Scott’s reworking of the audacious hijacking of a New York subway train.

The original “Pelham,” a taut heist thriller which starred a shambling Walter Matthau opposite the hard-edged Robert Shaw, is a mere character study in comparison to the Scott adaptation.

Well, much has changed since 1974, which were not exactly the glory days in New York City.

There’s little need to dwell on the original “Pelham” as director Scott obviously wanted to move in a completely different direction by reinventing the thriller to a modern-day sensibility.

What that means, of course, is that the action is on steroids, resulting in something at times so intense and hyped up that even Bruckheimer could get dizzy. And yet, considering that a good portion of the story takes place in the confined space of the subway control center, Scott finds ways to even hype the quieter, intense moments with erratic camera shots that swirl around.

Still, the best part is the terrifying cat-and-mouse game, pitting an ordinary, overburdened train dispatcher against a mercurial vengeful hijacker with a deadly trigger-finger.

The low-key role of civil servant in the vast MTA subway system goes to Denzel Washington, playing Walter Garber, who’s called upon to attempt to calm and reason with an irrational killer. It’s a task normally above the pay grade of a dispatcher, except that Garber is an MTA administrator who’s been demoted while pending an ethics investigation.

On the other side of the coin is John Travolta’s Ryder, a brilliant psychopath with issues relating to a previous stint of incarceration. Leader of a highly-armed gang of four, criminal mastermind Ryder boldly takes control of a subway train midway through its normal run.

Motivated by money rather than terrorism, Ryder threatens to execute the train’s passengers unless a large cash ransom is paid within one hour. With the menacing looks to match his deranged behavior, Ryder promises to kill a hostage for each minute that his payment is delayed.

Early on, he establishes the seriousness of his purpose, which is clearly understood by Garber. As the clock starts to run, Ryder quickly starts playing mind games with Garber, establishing the essential premise of the tension that runs throughout the film.

In turn, Garber tries, with variable success, to get into the head of Ryder, probing for the slightest shred of humanity, but mainly trying to stall for time.

Much of the friction is within the subway control center, where Garber is viewed skeptically by his supervisor (Michael Rispoli).

Since he’s been demoted to a dispatcher, Garber operates under a cloud of suspicion, but it is evident very quickly that he’s the best man for the job, even after hostage negotiator Lieutenant Camonetti (John Turturro) gets into the act.

Ryder explodes in fury when they attempt to replace Garber as the primary link in communications. Further complications arise when the unpopular mayor (James Gandolfini) exerts his forceful personality into the proceedings, though he has a few well-aimed wisecracks.

Meanwhile, below ground in the bowels of the subway system, strain builds for the scared hostages and the trigger-happy captors who become increasingly irritable as the deadline looms.

Above ground, the action kicks into high gear as the city officials agree to the ransom demand, and transporting the cash from Brooklyn into Manhattan involves high speed transport that is as thrilling as any cinematic car chase filled with crashes and mishaps.

“The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” makes efficient use of the ticking clock to constantly stoke the mounting tension.

No one should mistake “Pelham” as a simple remake of the original 1974 film. Brian Helgeland has written an excellent screenplay that relies to a great degree on a battle of wits between the hijacker and the ordinary working man dispatcher.

Director Scott brings a quick pace to the proceedings by moving the story along in a crisp, effective manner, punctuating the psychological mind games with enough action to prove a distraction during the quiet spells.

“The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” delivers suspenseful, tense action, while allowing its two main adversaries to shine with their compelling performances of hero and villain.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

One of the best TV action series is “Burn Notice” on the USA Network, and since I don’t keep up with every episode, the release of the second season on DVD is a most welcome opportunity to catch up.

Blacklisted spy Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) heats up the action by using his special espionage skills for a wide range of private clients.

After being unceremoniously dumped by a shadowy government agency, Westen struggles in each episode to put his life back together and find out why he was “burned.”

Westen is joined in his private ventures by Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar), an ex-IRA operative, and Sam (Bruce Campbell), his closest buddy.

In the second season, Westen continues his death-defying assignments, while having to cope with a new cast member, Carla (Tricia Helfer), the woman who may be behind his “burn notice.”

The “Burn Notice Season Two” DVID features all 16 episodes and bonus features such as cast/crew commentaries, gag reel, and deleted scenes.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

Denzel Washington plays Walter Garber, a civil servant trying to outwit Ryder (John Travolta) in “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3.” Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed