Movie Preview: The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

By: Alex Harris

On June 12th, I recommend heading out to your local movie theater to catch the opening night of director Tony Scott’s new film, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3.  With a cast lead by the always-productive Denzel Washington, as well as co-star John Travolta, this remake of the original 1974 production should turn out to be a captivating summer block-buster.

Filmed in the subway tunnels of New York City, the story revolves around a group of hijackers, led by Travolta, who overtake a train with expectations of receiving $1 million ransom.  After noticing an oddity in the system subway traffic controller, Denzel Washington, contacts Pelham 1 2 3 asking the reason for their stoppage.  From there, Travolta’s men hold the passengers hostage and entangle Denzel Washington in their schemes, all while cop cars flip over violently in the midst of the bustle of midtown Manhattan.  That sounds fantastic to me.

One thing that worries me: John Travolta’s son passed away during this movie’s filming.  We’ve all seen him portrayed as an absolute bad ass in the commercial trailers, but will his grief hinder his performance or bolster it?  Beyond that, Denzel Washington has worked with Tony Scott before creating masterpieces such as Man on Fire, and other enjoyable films like Deja Vu and Crimson Tide.  More so, Soprano’s star, James Gandolfini plays the NYC mayor, and John Turturro and Luis Guzman should provide some necessary spunk.  All of this leads me to believe that this movie will find it’s place at the top of the box office within the coming weeks.