Movie | The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009) | Pass

A thug and a mastermind criminal - that's the difference between this 2009 remake and the classic 1974 thriller, The Taking of Pelham 123 (based on a real event). The original had really interesting characters, with depth and convolutions. This is pretty much a flashy actioner with no real development. That's not necessarily a bad thing and viewers won't know the difference unless they've seen both.

Denzel Washington and John Travolta star but don't do a heck of a lot. Neither do the supporting stars. John Turturro, Luis Guzman and James Gandolfini's formidable talents are wasted, pretty much. I could have done with less swearing, fewer slow-mo helicopter and speeding car scenes and more character development.

Still, it's entertaining, not too violent and doesn't insult the viewer. See this one and then make it a point to see the original if you haven't already. If you have, I'd still recommend it. There are enough twists to be interesting.