The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

With Fare Hikes and Service Cuts Looming, M.T.A. Riders Take Another Hit

MOVIE REVIEW
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009)

PK-11
Rico Torres/Columbia Pictures

“The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” is similar to the cinematic version of a greatest-hits album, perfectly calibrated for the summer movie season. It features big stars and an established director doing exactly what they normally do, and doing it well.

The film pits John Travolta and Denzel Washington against one another as, stop me if you’ve heard this before, a maniacal villain and a suave hero respectively, while director Tony Scott (“Man on Fire,” “Domino”) amps up the action with assorted stylistic flourishes. That it works so well testifies to the skills of the principal figures and the continued potency of the mano-a-mano premise.

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