Review by Gary Tooze

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Description: Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) is a New York City subway dispatcher whose ordinary day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train. Ryder (John Travolta), the criminal mastermind behind the hijacking and leader of a highly-armed gang of four, threatens to execute the train's passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour. As the tension mounts beneath his feet, Garber employs his vast knowledge of the subway system in a battle to outwit Ryder and save the hostages. But there's one riddle Garber can't solve: even if the thieves get the money, how can they possibly escape?

 

 

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Extras include not one but two commentary tracks. The first has a relaxed Tony Scott and the second has the writer Brian Helgeland and producer Todd Black discussing the production details of the film and how it differed from the original. After pressing 'Play' you have the immediate option to opt for Movie IQ which, if chosen, includes a small icon while the film runs which you can access to have filmic details and information displayed on screen. This only works if your player is connected to the Internet - ditto for the cineChat feature which allows you to chat to friends as the film runs. There are the standard featurettes all in HD - No Time to Lose: The Making of Pelham 123 runs 1/2 an hour and has input from many of the crew including director Scott, the writers, producers, Denzel and others. The Third Rail: New York Underground is 15-minutes long and talks about how important the mass transit system is to The Big Apple. Marketing Pelham talks about the salability factions of The Taking of Pelham 123 and From the Top Down: Stylizing Character discusses the hairstyling of the film for 5 minutes (eyebrows raise). There are previews and a lengthy trailer for the film - in HD!

NOTE: There is a Digital Copy available for use with your portable devices.

BOTTOM LINE:
Even Tony Scott's excessiveness can't spoil this gripping story (based on John Godey's 1973 novel). Denzel is expectantly competent in his role but Travolta steals the show. The camera continues to love this guy's face and although there is never a fully clear shot of him in the first half - his intensely scary and intelligent character takes over the rest of the film. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 borders on greatness - but remains an excellent suspense movie. The Blu-ray is close to flawless - it looks and sounds quite amazing and for those who can't get enough there are the commentaries and featurettes. We give this a strong endorsement - this is damn entertaining cinema.