The new Taking of Pelham 123.

[HaroldBlvd]

Has anybody seen this? I haven't heard Tom talk about it.
I saw it last week and here are my thoughts.

I don't usually go to see remakes but I had seen that this was getting decent reviews so I figured what the hell.
The original The Taking OF Pelham 123 is one of my all time favorite movies.

This new film pales in comparison. They got so many things wrong and I'm not just talking about the technical aspects of the NYC Transit System. The original story was tight, well paced, well thought out, and it cooked at every scene.

This new one got all tangled up with uninteresting sub plots that did nothing to move the film along.

Gone also, was that great NYC humor that ran throughout the original.
That great line referenced above, "What do they want for their 35 cents, to live forever?" Nothing like that in the new one.

Everything that made the original a tight suspense thriller was thrown out in favor of Hollywood cliches.

Travolta's manic tatooed bad guy was a joke compared to Robert Shaw's cold steely mercenary.

After seeing this remake I went home and watched the original on DVD. What an amazing movie. That script was flawless. It captured the essence of being a New Yorker in the 70's. Funny and suspenseful at the same time.
The ending was awesome. I don't know what Tony Scott and his team were thinking but they totally ruined the ending compared to the original.

[Matt]

The original The Taking OF Pelham 123 is one of my all time favorite movies.

Same here.

I've been tempted to go see the remake (mainly to see how good James Gandolfini is in it, and to hear John Travolta say "Lick my bunghole, motherfucker!") but I haven't pulled the trigger, and I doubt I will. The 1974 version is pretty much flawless, and I want that film to be the only way I experience this particular story.

Judging from the trailers, it seems that (and your review supports this) they completely dropped all the humor. The main reason I like the 1974 PELHAM ONE TWO THREE so much is because it's fucking HILARIOUS. I think it works better as a comedy than as a thriller.

And Walter Matthau is so great in the 1974 version, it's unreal. He had a great mid-70s crime movie hot streak: CHARLEY VARRICK, THE LAUGHING POLICEMAN and THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE. All top shelf.

If they changed the ending, shame on them. The original, you're talking one of the Top Ten Best Movie Endings EVER. (Which begs the question, what else would make the list? THE THIRD MAN? THE KING OF COMEDY? Maybe this is a topic for another thread.)

[moonshake]

The original The Taking OF Pelham 123 is one of my all time favorite movies.

For those who haven't seen it, they just added this to hulu.com.

[nec13]

Yeah, the original is one of the greatest action movies ever made (and one of my favorite movies in any genre). It is rife with tension and suspense. And it also features sharp writing and superb acting. Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, and Jerry Stiller, in particular, are at their peak.

The main reason I've always enjoyed it is because it creates excitement without employing all of the typical action-film cliches. Moreover, as you said Matt, it is really funny. I think it is one of the greatest films about New York City ever made.

With all that being said, I've considered dropping the money to see the second remake, just to see how much Tony Scott screwed it up. I remember the made-for-TV remake with Vincent D'Onofrio was quite bad. I imagine that this second theatrical version is probably just as poor.