The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3 Review
Denzel Washington plays an MTA worker chatting with John Travolta’s subway hijacker in The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3 otherwise known as the JV team version of Inside Man.
How it’s Similar to Inside Man
1. Denzel vs. Hostage Taking Criminal Mastermind
Except instead of a coolly cold and eloquent Clive Owen (ably supported by stronger dialogue) in Inside Man we get Travolta who, God Bless him is a great actor, but here comes off a little bit silly.
He is not menacing, just histrionic. Taking gives him some personality, but not enough, and combined with Travolta’s performance it’s an overall disappointing villain.
As for Denzel, he does fine playing the man working out-of-his-league against the criminal, and it was a wise move giving him a personal flaw (he has a bribery issue in his past) but again, compared to Inside Man his dialogue is stiffer and doesn’t resonate as much (even though here it’s a bit more serious compared to the jokiness of Inside Man).
2. A Substantial Portion of the Story Has Denzel Far Away from his Antagonist.
Meaning the story has to survive basically by a lot of dialogue. This is the strength of Taking, there are moments where Denzel seems better friends with Travolta than some of the people on his side of the mic.
3. At Some Point, The Bad Guy Escapes
Taking really can’t compete with Inside Man for cleverness here. Spoiler Travolta simply leaves through an old tunnel after putting some gizmo on the subway car. In Inside Man Clive Owen stayed in the bank, it was pretty genius. This is much plainer and not as intriguing.
4. Denzel Washington is Awesome
This is definitely not one of Denzel’s best roles and it certainly isn’t showy, but he carries the picture easily. I don’t think Denzel has made a straight-up bad movie in years (I’ve seen almost all of his films, none I’ve seen have been bad). He’s relatable and charming here, as usual.
Other Thoughts
Tony Scott’s trademark jumpiness doesn’t bother me, and I think the editing tics associated have been relatively toned down in comparison to some of his previous films (like Man on Fire) this is subdued visually (again this is in comparison).
Bottom Line
It’s an okay movie, but nothing special. It won’t stick in your mind, and you won’t think back fondly on it.
Extra Points For Random Nonsense
The trailer line where Denzel’s wife says “We need milk. So on your way, get a gallon.” to which he responds, straight-faced “I can get a half gallon.” And she makes a serious face as operatic music swoons….it’s still in there.
This is AFTER he tells her he’s getting on a helicopter to take the money to the hijacker.
And it’s absurd! Denzel is capable of playing something for laughs, I didn’t sense that here.
-Dan Benamor