The action thriller is a classic staple of American cinema. Audiences love being baffled by intricate plots and mysterious characters. Nowadays its extremely difficult to find anything even remotely original in this genre because many of its bases have already been covered.
When a remake of the 1974 classic "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" was announced the skeptics came out in droves. This skepticism has been put to rest because "The Taking of Pelham 123" offers a rehashed vision of a subway hijacking that is both exciting and suspenseful.
Taking the basic premise of the original and radically changing just about everything else to fit with the current timeline, this film follows the actions of a mysterious ex-con named Ryder, played by John Travolta. This jaded criminal has a bone to pick with the mayor of New York City.
Ryder and his crew of scraggily miscreants take siege of the subway by stopping the Pelham 123 train in its tracks. Ryder contacts a dispatcher at the New York City Transit Authority. The man on the other end of the line is Walter Garber, a recently demoted city employee ably played by Denzel Washington. Ryder demands $10 million and informs Garber that if the money isn't delivered within the hour hostages will be executed.
The beauty of this remake is in its elegant balance. Director Tony Scott has found a perfect middle ground between detail-oriented character development and thrilling suspense. Scott holds back from his trademark explosion-happy style to deliver a gripping and intriguing commentary on terrorism, corruption and the media. The thriller portion of this film forces the viewer to read between the lines. The many conversations between Washington and Travolta serve to shed light on the much larger meaning behind this seemingly idiotic heist.
Everything these men say is important to the overall picture.
The most surprising aspect of this tense action thriller is Travolta's enthralling performance as the disturbingly disgruntled Ryder.
Travolta evokes in Ryder a mesmerizing angst and an incredible sense of motivation that makes this vicious villain incredibly deep. For those who are wary of Travolta's grab bag style of character acting, there is absolutely nothing to fear because Ryder is such an atypical rogue that one almost forgets Travolta is the man behind this tattooed criminal.
Denzel Washington's stellar performance as the tragic hero of Walter Garber is the perfect complement to Travolta's shoot first, ask questions later persona. Garber is an equally cynical city employee who is looking for redemption after he is accused of soliciting a bribe. Garber's tragic circumstances make him the perfect heroic figure for this thriller.
The opinions expressed are solely the writer's. Devin Heller is a first-year student at Purdue University Calumet. Reach him at mdevinheller@yahoo.com.
