The Taking of PELHAM 123 Review - Suspense Thriller You Don't Want to Miss

In The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Denzel Washington stars as New York City subway dispatcher Walter Garber, whose ordinary day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train.  John Travolta stars as Ryder, the criminal mastermind who, as 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?

What do you do when your day starts as ordinary as any other day in the life of a New York MTA NYC subway dispatcher until someone surprises you with the unimaginable? Walter Garber ( Denzel Washington) has begun his shift as subway dispatcher and a job that he has mastered so well that he can sense when something is different from the unusual.

Trains begin to stop when they shouldn’t, part of a train begins to move when the other part of the train is stationary and red lights begin to light up on the big screen in front of him. There is no answer from the conductor until silence is broken on the radio from an unfamiliar voice.

The voice on the other end of the radio is the criminal mastermind Ryder ( John Travolta) that has taken over the train with a highly armed gang of four that includes the brains of the operation, Ramos ( Luis Guzman), a disgruntles former New York subway train operator he met in prison. A person he relied upon in planning their eventual escape out of the tunnels.

Ryder’s demands are specific and though seem impossible to perform given only one hour, he holds true to his threats of executing one passenger for every minute that his demands are not met, namely the delivery of 1million dollars to the train.

Something unusual in his conversation provides a hint into the gunman’s background as he draws an analogy between the lives of the passengers, the amount of time given for delivery of the money and the stock market.

Travolta admits that, “Playing a bad guy is freeing because good guys restrain themselves…with a bad guy you can create your own oral fiber for him in varying degrees, and usually out of a wide envelope of behavior. I can be wild, calm, nutty, charming, or whatever I want.” That is exactly the character that he convincingly brings out in the character Ryder.

This hour will have you sitting on the edge of your seat while you experience the tension that Ryder ( John Travolta) delivers as he takes you through moments of unexpected  compassion to sheer terror as he executes an onboard policeman then confiding in and  getting to know Walter Garber ( Denzel Washington) whose day has just been ruined.

“Is this what you expected when you put on your pants this morning?”
- Ryder

The dynamics of the story are an interesting play on Ryder wanting revenge while Walter is hoping for redemption. Dynamics that play them out as each character tries to outwit the other. Ryder is told by Ramos that Garber is the subject of an internal investigation for accepting a bribe from a Japanese train manufacturer as an administrator prior to his demotion to dispatcher. A crime that Ryder forces him to admit during “confession” as he holds a gun to the head of a passenger.

Garber confesses to the commission of the crime, saving the life of the passenger, a confession heard over the Transit’s Rail Control Center including ( James Gandolfini) the Mayor of New York and Lieutenant Vincent Camonetti ( John Turturro), head of the hostage negotiation team, but not to the surprise of his boss John Johnson ( Michael Rispoli) who had no doubt about Walter’s guilt. One NYC Transit employee had a strong belief in Walter’s innocence was Delgado ( Ramon Rodriguez)

When it is determined that Ryder must have been connected with Wall Street, the tables turn and now he is forced with revealing his reasons for seeking revenge upon the City of New York. Revenge for the prison sentence connected to embezzlement committed in his previously held position on Wall Street. A crime that he confessed to before being sentenced to prison and returning all but 2million dollars.  The confession and revelation lead to a bond between Ryder and Garber that only gets worse.

The question that has been on the mind of Garber from the beginning of his relationship with Ryder is how will they ever escape from the tunnel?

The NYPD has all of the exits in Manhattan covered to prevent their escape. With time ticking away and Ryder getting desperate after losing Ramos to the bullet of a police sniper, he demands Garber bring the money to the train.

“You’re a lot taller than I expected and a lot more handsome sit down”
      -Ryder

Ryder with money in hand is now set for his escape from the 100 degree temperatures of the Manhattan subway tunnel. Garber manages to elude Ryder’s attempt to use him as a hostage, jumping across tracks with the passing of a 50mph train, escaping with a .45 automatic hidden in a money bag. He figures out how Garber has planned escaping from the tunnel and decides to prevent his escape.

Visit Sony Pictures www.catchthetrain.com for movie trailer.

 Cast
 Walter Garber Denzel Washington
 Ryder John Travolta
 Phil Ramos Luis Guzman
 Bashkin Victor Gojcaj
 Emri Robert Vataj
 Camonetti John Turturro
 John Johnson Michael Rispoli
 Delgado Ramon Rodriguez
 Mayor James Gandolfini
 Deputy Mayor LaSalle John Benjamin Hickey
 George Alex Kaluzhsky
 Wallace Gbenga Akinnagbe
 Mom Katherine Sigismund
 8-Year-Old Boy Jake Siciliano
 Mr. Thomas Jason Butler Harner
 Jerry Pollard (Motorman) Gary Basaraba
 Regina (Conductor) Tonye Patano
 Therese (Garber’s Wife) Aunjanue Ellis
 ‘Q’ Train Motorman Anthony Annarumma
 Maintainer Three Victor Cruz
 Maintenance Workers Glen Tortorella
  Bobby Bojorklund
 Dispatcher One Saidah Arrika Ekulona
 Puerto Rican Girl Jasmin Tavarez
 George’s Girlfriend Alice Kremelberg
 Undercover Cop Sean Meehan
 Supervisor Todd Susman
 Officer Moran / NYPD Liaison J. Bernard Calloway
 Zealous Aide Chip Brookes
 LaSalle’s Aide Zach Poole
 Reporter at MTA Reuben Jackson
 ESU One Sean Nelson
 ESU Two Deak Evgenikos
 Sniper Ty Jones
 Dr. Weiss Lee Shepherd
 Money Car Driver Mike Houston
 Money Car Shotgun Rene Ifrah
 Police Commissioner Sterman Frank Wood
 Police Captain Hill (MTA) Brian Haley
 Financial Reporter Maria Bartiromo
 Team Member (NYPD) John Lavelle
 ESU Captain Chance Kelly
 SUV Driver Peter Bucossi
 Heckler Steve Routman
 Reporter at 42nd Street & Vanderbilt Laurie Cole
 Tunnel Commander Nick Loren
 ESU Lieutenant Staley Daniel Stewart Sherman
 MTA Workers Patrick J. Dalton
  John Keiser
 Cabbie Adrian Martinez
 Commuter Jordan Gelber
 Reporter Rose DelCastillo
 ESU Guys Joe Forbrich
  Jason Cerbone
  Billy Devlin
 Federal Reserve Supervisor Jonathan Rau
 ESU Desk Officer Mike Mihm
 Motormen Sammy Miraglia
  Kenneth Natal

Published on Jun 10, 2009