Remaking The Taking of Pelham 123
June 3rd 2009 21:49
The first time I saw the trailer for "The Taking of Pelham 123" I have to admit that my first thought was that the title sounded vaguely familiar. I had heard the title before but I couldn't quite remember the film. As I watched the trailer and realized that the plot involved the hijacking of a subway car in New York City, it came to me.
"The Taking of Pelham 123" was originally released in 1974. Long before many of you were born. I'd tell you how old I was when original was in theaters but that would date me. Let's just say that there were still drive in theaters. The kind where you paid one price for the whole carload and parents would load up their station wagons with every kid in the neighborhood for a night at the drive in.
The original starred Walter Matthau as Lt. Zachary Garber as a grumpy, cynical transit authority cop. The hijackers are led by British actor Robert Shaw who plays Bernard Ryder and Martin Balsam as Harold Longman, a disgruntled motorman who helps Ryder in his plot to ransom a train and all its passengers for million dollars, which must be paid in 60 minutes. The time limit set by the hijackers sets the pace. You feel the tension of the police as they rush to get the ransom delivered. As the story unfolds and the hijackers have manage to over ride the "dead-man" feature, which is designed to ensure that a living person is driving the train at all times to keep it running, the rogue train hurtling through the tunnels is nerve wrecking. "Pelham 123" is a thriller in every sense of the word. The film is rightly considered a classic.
The short list of talent involved in the original is circa 1970's male royalty. Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam are all well known to movie lovers. But there are other talented actors like the late Earl Hindman, best known for his portrayal of neighbor Wilson on "Home Improvement" and Hector Elizondo, who is one of the most talented character actors of our time. Also in the cast is Jerry Stiller, who may be best known to younger audiences for his role on "Seinfeld".
A bit of trivia that is interesting. The hijackers refer to themselves and each other by names taken from colors "Mr. Blue" is the code name for Robert Shaw's character. This device was later used by Quentin Tarantino in "Reservoir Dogs".
On June 12, 2009, nearly 35 years after the original was released, a remake of "The Taking of Pelham 123" will make its debut. The remake stars Denzel Washington in the Matthau role and John Travolta playing the part originally created by Robert Shaw. The question is this: can a newer version live up to the original?
It remains to be seen. Tony Scott is directing the remake. Scott has some big films under his belt, among them "Top Gun", "Days of Thunder", "The Last Boy Scout" and "Crimson Tide", with Denzel Washington.
All of them very good, very big movies.
John Travolta always delivers a good performance. As does Denzel Washington. And that may be the problem.
We've seen Denzel play the civil servant/good guy, many times. I'll bet he uses the phrase "My man" at least once while talking to another character. We've also seen John Travolta's action adventure bad guy.
Don't get me wrong, these are two actors whose work I enjoy. I think they are both very gifted. I just don't see them taking any big risks with these roles.
Time will tell. The movie is set to open on June 12. See the movie. Maybe even go to the library or DVD rental store and look for the original. Then we'll talk again.
"The Taking of Pelham 123" was originally released in 1974. Long before many of you were born. I'd tell you how old I was when original was in theaters but that would date me. Let's just say that there were still drive in theaters. The kind where you paid one price for the whole carload and parents would load up their station wagons with every kid in the neighborhood for a night at the drive in.
The original starred Walter Matthau as Lt. Zachary Garber as a grumpy, cynical transit authority cop. The hijackers are led by British actor Robert Shaw who plays Bernard Ryder and Martin Balsam as Harold Longman, a disgruntled motorman who helps Ryder in his plot to ransom a train and all its passengers for million dollars, which must be paid in 60 minutes. The time limit set by the hijackers sets the pace. You feel the tension of the police as they rush to get the ransom delivered. As the story unfolds and the hijackers have manage to over ride the "dead-man" feature, which is designed to ensure that a living person is driving the train at all times to keep it running, the rogue train hurtling through the tunnels is nerve wrecking. "Pelham 123" is a thriller in every sense of the word. The film is rightly considered a classic.
The short list of talent involved in the original is circa 1970's male royalty. Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam are all well known to movie lovers. But there are other talented actors like the late Earl Hindman, best known for his portrayal of neighbor Wilson on "Home Improvement" and Hector Elizondo, who is one of the most talented character actors of our time. Also in the cast is Jerry Stiller, who may be best known to younger audiences for his role on "Seinfeld".
A bit of trivia that is interesting. The hijackers refer to themselves and each other by names taken from colors "Mr. Blue" is the code name for Robert Shaw's character. This device was later used by Quentin Tarantino in "Reservoir Dogs".
On June 12, 2009, nearly 35 years after the original was released, a remake of "The Taking of Pelham 123" will make its debut. The remake stars Denzel Washington in the Matthau role and John Travolta playing the part originally created by Robert Shaw. The question is this: can a newer version live up to the original?
It remains to be seen. Tony Scott is directing the remake. Scott has some big films under his belt, among them "Top Gun", "Days of Thunder", "The Last Boy Scout" and "Crimson Tide", with Denzel Washington.
All of them very good, very big movies.
John Travolta always delivers a good performance. As does Denzel Washington. And that may be the problem.
We've seen Denzel play the civil servant/good guy, many times. I'll bet he uses the phrase "My man" at least once while talking to another character. We've also seen John Travolta's action adventure bad guy.
Don't get me wrong, these are two actors whose work I enjoy. I think they are both very gifted. I just don't see them taking any big risks with these roles.
Time will tell. The movie is set to open on June 12. See the movie. Maybe even go to the library or DVD rental store and look for the original. Then we'll talk again.
| 45 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog