John Allman

If you’ve ever wandered the aisles at the video store or surfed the DVR pay-per-view options and seen a bunch of movies that you’ve never heard of, chances are John has watched them. Why? He loves movies. All kinds of movies. Good, bad, so-bad-they’re good, even the truly unwatchable ones. He mostly loves horror and science-fiction and drive-in exploitation movies that most upstanding model citizens wouldn’t dare watch. Then he writes up his thoughts so you can decide - watch, don’t watch or avoid at all costs. Sometimes he even gets to talk to the cool folks who make some of your favorite films.

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 John Allman

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The Taking of Pelham 123

Posted Nov 11, 2009 by John Allman

Updated Nov 11, 2009 at 07:28 AM

The Taking of Pelham 123
Genre: Action/Remake
Directed by: Tony Scott
Run time: 106 minutes
Rating: R
Format: Blu-Ray

The Lowdown: Tony Scott could make this movie in his sleep.

By now, Scott, the master of the jump cut, the flash edit, the accelerated scene, had cornered the market on edgy, hyperbolic thrillers – particularly those starring Denzel Washington.

It’s not a bad thing. It’s entertaining. But is it enough?

This remake of the lower-budget 1974, Walter Matthau/Robert Shaw original, is perfectly serviceable. It has a bigger budget, an A-list cast with Washington, John Travolta as the hijacking heavy and James Gandolfini as a Michael Bloomberg-esque mayor and enough over-stylized scenes of New York life to burn.

The story remains the same: A bad guy hijacks a New York subway car. He taunts an MTA dispatcher. Demands are made, hostages are killed, a standoff ensues. Washington plays the demoted dispatcher with a secret – he took a bribe to help pay for his kids’ college – with understated calm and confidence. Travolta, with a throat tattoo and black goatee, is better here than in the tepid family comedies he’s made of late. And Gandolfini drops the Sopranos-style menace that made him a star on HBO and TMZ celebrity footage to portray a conflicted politician looking for a quick resolution to save his public servant’s career.

But the kinetic energy that Scott brought to “True Romance” and “Domino” is missing.

It’s all flash and style over substance.

It’s good, but ultimately not original enough to warrant anything more than a weekend rental at best, and a late night HBO bedtime viewing at worst.

The Stuff You Care About:
Hot chicks – No.
Nudity – No.
Gore – Gun violence.
Drug use – No.
Bad Guys/Killers – John Travolta.
Buy/Rent – Rent it.
Blu-Ray Bonus Features – Exclusive features: Cinechat and movieIQ trivia and facts. Additional features: The making-of documentary, “No Time To Lose”; “The Third Rail: New York Underground”;  two features, “From the Top Down” and “Marketing Pelham”; director, writer and producer commentaries.
On the Web – http://www.catchthetrain.com/
Release Date – Nov. 1, 2009