The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009)

O Masterpiece

O Excellent

X Good

O OK

O Mediocrity

O Avoid

Review by Jason Pyles / June 12, 2009

Two-thirds of “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” ticks away in approximate real time, which means the time it takes for the events to unfold onscreen equals the time they would take in reality. (The cinema typically condenses time, which is how we’re able to watch stories that span days or years in only a couple of hours.)

Notably, this movie’s real-time portion isn’t depicted through long, unbroken takes, as in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rope” (1948); instead, the plot is delivered as it is in “High Noon” (1952), with several cuts painstakingly aligned to correspond with the minute-hand of your trusty wristwatch — which amounts to impressive, labor-intensive filmmaking.

Denzel Washington plays Walter Garber, a train dispatcher who works at a rail control center in New York City. He happens to be on duty when a madman who calls himself Ryder (John Travolta) launches a hostage-ransom plot by commandeering Pelham 1 2 3, a subway train filled with passengers. If the city of New York doesn’t deliver $10 million within an hour, Ryder threatens to shoot one passenger for each minute the ransom is late.

Travolta portrays this villain as intelligent and unstable — a loose cannon with the volatility of a Quentin Tarantino henchman. Other actors of note include John Turturro as a would-be hostage negotiator, and James Gandolfini (aka Tony Soprano) as an unpopular New York City mayor.

“Pelham 1 2 3” is a remake of a 1974 movie by the same name. Both films are based John Godey’s novel. Unlike many summer blockbusters, “Pelham 1 2 3” is more than just a big, loud action flick: In one scene, Garber’s worried wife instructs him that he must return home safely, because he needs to buy milk. Another moving moment involves an act of pure heroism by a minor character.

Credible little touches like these engage us in a movie that has many scenes that are merely two actors talking to each other over a radio. But the film’s highlight is Washington’s nuanced performance as a flawed hero and good man. I was reminded of another Washington film — perhaps his best — called “John Q” (2002), where he plays a hostage captor.

By the way, real-time enthusiasts should consider seeing “Timecode” (2000), if only for its quartered screen that reveals four, simultaneously unfolding stories that are uninterrupted by editing. And if you’re fond of hostage movies, I recommend “Hostage” (2005), with Bruce Willis. Remarkably, it’s a hostage film within a hostage film.

Directed by Tony Scott

Denzel Washington / John Travolta / John Turturro

Crime 106 min.

MPAA Rating: R (for violence and pervasive language)