THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123 (2009)

Given this film's mixed reviews, I wasn't expecting much; in fact the main reason for me watching it was just to see what changes had been made to the 1974 original.

So I was pleasantly surprised to be entertained by it, even if in the final analysis I prefer the original, and I agree with those critics who thought it a pointless remake.

But given that it was remade let's look at what it has to offer.

Well for starters it has Denzel Washington as Garber convincing us that he is a mere civil servant working for the New York transit system (albeit one with a sparkly ear stud).  I liked the fact that in this version Garber is a flawed protagonist who has been demoted because he has been accused of taking a bribe.  One of the best scenes here is when the lead baddie Dennis Ford (played by John Travolta) threatens to kill one of the hostages unless Garber confesses to taking the bribe.

I also enjoyed the late, great James Gandolfini playing the city mayor, and John Turturro playing a hostage negotiator with the NYPD.  But truth to tell the screenplay doesn't find a way to give them much to do.

John Travolta earned $20 million for this performance which is nice for him, and he's OK and it's not his fault that I didn't find the character very convincing.  He's supposed to be both an ex-Wall Street trader who has put the plan together, and a loose cannon who is prone to killing people in an angry frenzy.

Whilst the original film went to some pains to explain how the gang could get around the problem of the dead man's switch, here Ford just produces a gadget to override it, with no explanation.

Also to this film's disbenefit is the lack of attention given to the other members of the gang, and since one of them is Luis Guzman that is a shame.  

It goes without saying that the director Tony Scott struggles to build suspense, and that the action sequences are not great.

Roger Ebert summed it up neatly: "there is nothing wrong with this film, other than that there is nothing really right".

RATING: x Find Something Better To Do