“The Taking of Pelham 123” (2009)

The basic premise is the same, but director Tony Scott rachets up the noise, violence and cutting tempo in this remake of the 1974 thriller. In this outing, John Travolta, suffering from a bad case of Al Pacino syndrome, emotes his way through the subway hijacking, while Denzel Washington keeps his cool as the dispatcher on the other end on the line. “The Taking of Pelham 123” ends like the original with them getting the bad guy. But it’s all brawn and no brain. And even the reason for the hijacking is convoluted. Without giving up too much, it made me wonder why Travolta didn’t just hire someone to do it for him. Maybe someone who’s a better actor. My Tweet: The Taking of Pelham 123-After they took the Pelham One Two Three in 1974, the Transit Authority should have beefed up security. 6.5 (out of 10)

To see it done old school, here’s the trailer for “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” with Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw.

“The Taking of Pelham 123”

Released: 2009

Rating: R

Length: 106 minutes

Cast: Denzel Washington, John Travolta, James Gandolfini, John Turturro

Director: Tony Scott

Genre(s): Adaptation, Action, Thriller