Only a fraction of the critics have written reviews of Tony Scott‘s The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, but it’s disturbing nonetheless that so far it’s only got a 43% positive from Rotten Tomatoes. (Metacritic only has three reviews.) Due respect to New York‘s David Edelstein but his review feels like a crab-head thing for no persuasive reason.
For what it is the movie works. It’s superior to the 1974 Joseph Sargent original. The lead characters played by Denzel Washington and John Travolta have more going on inside than their ’74 counterparts (played by Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw) and their performances — especially Travolta’s — have more facets and jazz notes.
