Movie Review- The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

Tony Scott has done it again. There are bunches and bunches of action movies out there, and alot of them are a jumbled mess. But Tony Scott has always been a shade above the rest. Scott has casted Denzel Washington for the 4th time, which you can't go wrong with, and superstar John Travolta, which gives the movie credible actors to combine with a good script and plot.

NOTE: 3 actors in this film starred in "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen".

PLOT:
A demoted railway dispacher Walter (Denzel Washington) plays negotiator with a criminal madman (John Travolta) after he hijacks a train in New York City.

PROS:
If two B-list actors played the lead roles, the dialogue may come out a little corny. But with Washington as an ordinary service worker, and Travolta as a genius madman, it works. I don't have to rave about these actors we all know they are great, but the two together alone make the movie great, especially since the majority of the movie their dialogue isn't in the same place, Washington from the rail HQ and Travolta on the train. They find a way to give the characters depth and make the film more than just an action movie. And speaking of action, the movie is not filled with explosions and running and shooting, it actually has a storyline. You know the movie is gonna build up to where the dispacher and madman are gonna eventually butt heads in person, but you have to make sure the build up is worth and it is. But the climax is done more smart than for effects or gun-play. It's not showy, it's just intellegent and the story line is as complicated as other smart action-thrillers.

CONS:
Despite the great plot, there are some flaws. A personal pet peeve is that i don't like the sappy love story in the middle of a solid action flick, but it's almost acceptable because it was husband and wife, in Washington and Ellis. Kudos however to not including a corny reunion between the two at the end of the day. Only three things in the plot that bug me to this very minute. One, a passenger has a labtop open and recording on the floor and two guys walk by the whole time, howd they not see it. Two, Travolta's henchmen don't seem to like him and they go their seperate ways at the end. I wish i knew their story. and last, a rat bites a sniper on the leg and he shoots into the train, kinda ridiculous.

Recommendation:
Rent it.

Written by:
Brian Hegleand

Directed by:
Tony Scott

MAIN CAST:
Denzel Washington ("American Gangster", "Inside Man")
John Travolta ("Pulp Fiction", "Hairspray")
John Tutorro ("Transformers", "What Just Happened?")
James Gandolfini ("Last Caslte", TVs "Sopranos")
Luis Guzman ("Waiting...", "Nothing Like the Holidays")
Michael Rispoli ("Mr. 3000", "Invincible")
John Benjamin Hickey ("Freedom Writers", "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen")
Ramon Rodriguez ("Pride and Glory", "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen")
Aunjanue Ellis ("Undercover Brother", "Ray")

Similar Titles:
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (1974), Money Train, Enemy of the State

Next Review:
G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra- trailer