Rated R for violence and pervasive language.
Directed by Tony Scott (Déjà Vu, Man on Fire)
Starring Denzel Washington, John Travolta, James Gandolfini and John Turturro
Todd’s Word: Pelham 1 2 3 is an action-packed thrill ride.
Jonathan’s Word: Ooooooo. That sounds cool! Say it again, but this time use the movie preview guy’s voice! “In a world where…”
Todd’s Word: Can I finish?
Jonathan’s Word: Yeah, sorry. I just got a little excited.
Todd’s Word: This remake of the 1974 film was originally inspired by John Godey's best-selling book.
Jonathan’s Word: That’s good history. Thanks man.
Todd’s Word: Sigh.
Pelham 1 2 3 is the name of a New York City subway train that is hijacked by Ryder (John Travolta) and his gang of heavily armed men.
Jonathan’s Word: Travolta looked scary in this film. Not a typical role for him.
Todd’s Word: Yes, it was definitely better than a fat suit and a dress.
Anyway, the four hijackers are holding all of the passengers hostage and demanding $10 million. The authorities have just one hour to deliver the money or the gunmen will begin executing everyone on board. Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) is the dispatcher who was first to make contact with Ryder and subsequently gets sucked into this high-stakes deadly game.
Jonathan’s Word: Oh… Hairspray!
Todd’s Word: Huh?
Jonathan’s Word: Fat suit and a dress. Travolta. Hairspray! I get it.
Todd’s Word: Dude… I’m like three minutes past that. Catch up.
Not surprisingly, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 is just jammed packed with action and tension. From the opening scene to the closing credits, Tony Scott films every shot with precision and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Even something as mundane as getting on a subway is filmed with cool stop-motion cuts and looks great.
Jonathan’s Word: I’ve always liked Tony Scott films. All the way back to Top Gun… the guy knows how to shoot. And Pelham 1 2 3 combines that with good story-telling and great performances.
Todd’s Word: The performances were noteworthy. Denzel Washington and John Travolta are both fantastic in their polar opposite roles. In recent films, Denzel has played the no-nonsense tough guy role (Man on Fire, Déjà Vu and American Gangster) but in Pelham, he is the nerdy desk jockey. Ironically enough John Travolta’s latest films include Hairspray…
Jonathan’s Word: Hairspray!
Todd’s Word: … Bolt and Wild Hogs but in Pelham he plays the bad guy perfectly.
Like most heist films, the nagging question throughout the movie is: even if they get the money, how are they possibly going to get out of the tunnels? Yeah, Tony Scott anticipates that question and does a great job of answering it…don’t worry, no spoiler here.
Jonathan’s Word: That’s funny—I thought the exact same thing. And I really was impressed.
Todd’s Word: The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 isn’t the most original heist film, but it is definitely worth popping some popcorn and Renting it.
Jonathan’s Word: You nailed it. I almost thought of giving this a score of Theatre Worthy, but I thought, “This wasn’t the most original piece.”
Todd’s Word: But definitely worth the rent.
Jonathan’s Word: Absolutely. It was entertaining regardless. I actually struggled with giving it only a score of “rental.” But that’s where I landed. Good film.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
The film is rated R strictly for violence and language and believe me there are plenty of both, however there is no nudity or sex (although there is one scene where a girl flashes her bra to her boyfriend on a video chat).
The main problem with this film is the fact that some kids might not see the bad guy as “bad.” If you are going to let your kids watch this film, I recommend talking about that. “Is it ever okay to steal?” “Is it ever justified to take the law into your own hands?”
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
