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Reviews Counted:202
Fresh:104
Rotten:98
Average Rating:5.4/10
Consensus: Despite a strong cast, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 suffers under the excesses of Tony Scott's frantic direction, and fails to measure up to the 1974 original.
Theatrical Release:Jun 12, 2009 Wide
Box Office: $65,452,312
Synopsis: In The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Denzel Washington stars as New York City subway dispatcher Walter Garber, whose ordinary day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway... [More]
Starring: Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman
Director: Tony Scott
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Scott, a sensationalist who cut his teeth in advertising and still looks upon every minute of a feature film as a TV commercial, hits us from the opening shot with speeded-up film, rapid cutting, flash pans, and rap music.
This is a post-9/11 city: terrorism is suspected, the cops are over-armed and trigger happy. Why they don't shoot Ryder when they could is unexplained.
Where the movie can't quite deliver is in... some third act choices... that seem to be motivated by the servicing of movie star egos instead of story sense or character reality.
Scott’s style, all staccato edits and blurry panic, pays off in a few minor scenes, though it’s a pity a sub-plot traffic accident has more impact than the main event.
‘The Taking of Pelham 123’ is not a bad film: it’s ponderous and shallow, but always watchable. But what it crucially fails to do, especially in the light of its illustrious predecessor, is justify its own existence.
Featuring good work from the dependable Denzel, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 is hampered by hyper-kinetic visuals from Scott, an over-zealous turn from Travolta and a thoughtless script from Brian Helgeland.
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 is not a disaster by any means. For most of its running time, it’s a slick, well-crafted piece of entertainment. But you can’t help wondering just how good it might have been in the hands of a less self-advertising director.
Head-bangingly hyperactive as ever, action maestro Tony Scott appears to have upped his caffeine intake for this unexpectedly entertaining remake.
The 2009 version, perhaps like New York itself, is flashier and far less gritty. The camerawork is busier, the effects are expensive, the colours louder. The soundtrack, a bastard mix of rocky techno and crude drum 'n' bass, recalls a car ad from 1996.
Juvenile, hyperactive, obstreperous and obnoxious.
Scott does like his bells and whistles, substituting those for real atmosphere and sense of place. Fortunately that's not enough to completely wreck a serviceable thriller.
Now that all the summer’s blockbusters have shot their load, there could be room in the market for this solidly entertaining thriller remake. But your life would hardly be impoverished if you skipped it.
The year's most surprisingly enjoyable pulse-racer.
For a good hour, Scott delivers a tense cat-and-mouser. Goes off track when Denzel turns action hero, but his riffing with a sinister Trav is what propels this Pelham.
The film thrills like a super-saturated fairground ride, but Scott ducks the question of post -9/11 terror, and fails to deliver on a metaphorical level.
It moves along at a decent pace but I’d have liked something more – but what exactly, I can’t quite put my finger on.
The Taking Of Pelham 123 may not be up there with his best, but it's professional, fast-moving and holds the interest. It will pay a few bills, which is the only reason it exists.
Tony Scott has made a film that, for sheer fun and breathless tension, leaves the summer's other actioners parked in the sidings.
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 is a classy updating of the original, strong on pace and atmosphere, with Travolta and Washington making a great doubleact.
Tony Scott’s remake of the semi-classic of 1974 begins and ends badly.
August 27, 2009:
10 Hair-raising Moments With John Travolta
Travolta's brutal butch hair -- or lack thereof, handlebar moustache aside -- in this week's remake of The Taking of Pelham 123 got us nostalgic for ol' dimple chin's former... More...
June 19, 2009:
Submit to the RT Show and Earn a Cool $100
Time for the weekly update, folks. As always, thanks to everyone who has submitted reviews and helped contribute to the show. Every week, we continue to bring you a lively,... More...
June 15, 2009:
Watch RT on Current TV
This week, The Rotten Tomatoes Show will be looking at the movies that opened over the weekend, with help from you (the Rotten Tomatoes community), the Current TV community, and... More...
June 13, 2009:
Denzel and Travolta co-star in remake of classic hostage drama. 
More...
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Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.
The Me and Orson Welles star answers reader questions on TIME.com.
Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
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