Video Views Pick: The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

directed by Tony Scott
R; 95 minutes

John Travolta has us glued to the screen portraying a thug called Ryder standing in a New York City subway station. He and three accomplices are waiting for just the right train to come by. When it does, they enter it, pull a gun on the driver, detach the front car from the rest of the train, and hold 17 passengers hostage. Back at the central operating facility, Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) is sitting at the dispatch desk, to which he has been assigned after a demotion resulting from an investigation into his alleged taking of a bribe. Ryder asks for $10 million within an hour or he will begin killing a hostage for every minute thereafter. The suspense mounts as the mayor (James Gandolfini) and a hostage negotiator (John Turturro) are called in, but it’s Garber who must engage in the battle to outwit Ryder and save the hostages. It’s Ryder’s motive that has us guessing in this emotional roller coaster. Based on the 1973 novel and 1974 movie.

DVD Extras: Commentary with director Tony Scott, writer Brian Helgeland and producer Todd Black. Featurettes include “No Time To Lose: The Making of Pelham 1 2 3” and “The Third Rail: New York Underground.”

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