The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009)

Director:

Tony Scott

Writers (WGA):

Brian Helgeland (screenplay)
John Godey (novel)

Release Date:

12 June 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Plot:

Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day's work for dispatcher Walter Garber into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime. |

Plot Keywords:

New York City | Hostage | Subway | Train | Subway Train

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Denzel Washington	...	Walter Garber
John Travolta	...	Ryder
Luis Guzmán	...	Phil Ramos
Victor Gojcaj	...	Bashkim
John Turturro	...	Camonetti
Michael Rispoli	...	John Johnson
Ramon Rodriguez	...	Delgado
James Gandolfini	...	Mayor
John Benjamin Hickey	...	Deputy Mayor LaSalle
Alex Kaluzhsky	...	George
Gbenga Akinnagbe	...	Wallace
Katherine Sigismund	...	Mom
Jake Richard Siciliano	...	8-Year-Old Boy (as Jake Siciliano)
Jason Butler Harner	...	Mr. Thomas
Gary Basaraba	...	Jerry Pollard (Motorman)

Also Known As:

The Taking of Pelham 123 (UK) (promotional title) (USA) (promotional title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and pervasive language.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44271) | UK:15 | South Korea:15 | Ireland:15A | Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Sweden:15 | South Africa:16LV | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Portugal:M/12 | Denmark:15 | Netherlands:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | New Zealand:R16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Mexico:B15 | Japan:G | Argentina:13 | Iceland:16 | Taiwan:R-12 | Australia:MA | India:A | Germany:16 | Brazil:14

Filming Locations:

Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures

Trivia:

The name of the Denzel Washington's character, originally named "Zachary Garber", is changed to "Walter Garber" as a nod to Walter Matthau, who starred in the 1974 version.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When the police pick up the money from the Federal Reserve, they are actually at the Federal Building/Post Office on Church Street, near the Trade Center.

Quotes:

Ryder: Do you know what I'm looking at? Do you know what I'm looking at?
Walter Garber: No, I do not.
Ryder: Ok, well first there's my gun... and at the end of my gun, what's your name man?
George: George, everyone calls me Geo.
Ryder: George, his friends call him Geo. He's got this kinda eighties skateboard thing going on... he makes it work, but it's not gonna look to good in his casket.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 81st Annual Academy Awards (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

99 Problems

two solid leads but the results are underwhelming

It started out like any ordinary day; that's likely what New York City subway dispatcher Walter Garber, an employee of questionable character, was thinking when he got up and went to work in the morning. Little did he know that he'd become the confidante and "stand-in" hostage negotiator for a slick criminal mastermind who takes over the Pelham subway train and demands money in exchange for the lives of its passengers. Hearing the names Washington, Travolta, and Scott creates a lot of anticipation, but unfortunately what wants to be a slick combination of suspense thriller and character study instead results in a ponderous film with a weak setup, predictable plot twists, shallow characters, and little tension. It's easy to watch with actors of Washington and Travolta's caliber at work, but director Scott's direction is pretentious and throws out some obligatory action scenes that seem to exist for the sole purpose of padding the time on the way to an expected climax. The leads do what they can with the strained material but really deserve better. **