VIEW TRAILER I decided to check out The Taking of Pelham 123 because I was in the mood to be entertained, and of course, because the almighty Netflix suggested it to me. I had heard good things about the film from some of my friends, so I had hope for it. In the end, the film turned out to be pretty much what I expected: a cheap thrill ride that entertained me but didn't amaze me.
As the movie poster so beautifully depicts, the film is essentially a stand-off between a simple New York man, Walter Garber (Denzel Washington), trying to redeem himself, and a complex New York man, Ryder (John Travolta) trying to get rich quick, taking no prisoners. The film essentially boils down to quite a few radio conversations between these men, with a few high speed car chases and gun fire mixed in. Luckily, Denzel and John both do a good job with their roles, preventing this film from dragging. I enjoyed the film and thought it was pretty suspenseful, but it didn't surprise me.
Maybe it was my fault for somehow believing this film was going to be different. Perhaps I shouldn't have naively assumed this suspense thriller wouldn't turn out the exact same way. In the end, it pretty much had all the cliches I should have suspected. Allow me to elaborate.
- While his performance was good, Travolta's character pretty much fit the bill for the classic criminal mastermind. He was smart, witty, and of course had the notion that he was right, while the rest of society was actually the criminals. You know, the kind of guy where you are watching the film and suddenly think "Oh shit, maybe he's right! Maybe we are the bad guys!"... and then he kills an army veteran and you think "nah...."
- The unlikely hero. Enter Denzel. This was about as standard as they come. Hard-working blue-collar guy, just trying to get through the day, when suddenly he is thrust into an extreme situation. And of course, by the end of the film he is chasing down the bad guy in a car with a gun.
- The less-than-saintly politician who pretends to care about the hostages, when really all he cares about is his apporval rating.
- Extreme overuse of the word "motherf***er".
The film did have one notable turn from normality, but it actually was one that I felt hurt the film. There were actually two climaxes. The first one occurs when all the hostages are saved, and at this point I exhailed a sigh of relief. However, upon checking the ticker at the bottom of the screen, I found out there were still 15 minutes left in the film. At this point I groaned, as I watched Denzel take off through the streets of New York to stop Travolta. This was upsetting because (1) I didn't really care if Travolta got away with the money and (2) It seemed very unnecessary and ill-advised for a train conductor to try and chase down a criminal mastermind.
Overall, the film didn't stick out to me, and therefore I would only recommend it to someone who is just looking to be entertained for 2 hours. IT isn't going to make you think much after, and it won't leave any real lasting impressions.
Will like if you enjoyed... - Phone Booth, John Q, Con Air, Enemy of the State, US Marshalls
Stay Away if... - You are looking for deeper meaning in your action films
Best Performance - Denzel Washington as Walter Garber. There were no amazing stand out performances in this film, but like always, Denzel shined. His character was the flawed hero, and Denzel did a great job of connecting with the audience on an emotional level.
Worst Performance - The NYPD extras. Pretty much every line they muttered was some stupid one-liner that you would predict was coming in a cheap action film. It was painful to watch. Blame the writers on this one.
Quote of the Film - "I talked to God... he said I should trust in him. All others pay cash. How soon can you get it down here?" Ryder (John Travolta)
Image I will Remember - To be honest, no scene or image really sticks out...
RATING - 5/10. Cheap thrills, decent entertainment. Didn't like it, didn't hate it. This film kinda just boils down to your taste in movies.
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