'Pelham 123' so much better than 'Pelham 123'
In a terrific mood in late June, I went out of my mind and said Denzel's performance in the remake of Taking of Pelham 123 saved the movie. Upon seeing the original this weekend, I have to say the remake was awful and I'd never watch it again. The original, though, is fantastic.
Walter Matthau as the transit cop star: "Somebody down there knows how to drive a train. You don't pick that up watching Sesame Street."
And Jerry Stiller, as a buddy on the force: "We had a bomb scare in the Bronx yesterday, but it turned out to be a cantaloupe." Later, familiar actor Dick O'Neill, as a train router: "Screw the goddamn passengers! What the hell did they expect for their lousy 35 cents, to live forever?"
The best scenes were dirty, dark and had 1974 written all over them. The line electrical supervisor I didn't know: "Oh, come on. If I've got to watch my language just because they let a few broads in, I'm going to quit. How the hell can you run a goddamn railroad without swearing?"
Sure, the moviemakers didn't know what to do with their ending (well, the first of two endings), but with all these people around plus Robert Shaw, Hector Elizondo, Wilson from Home Improvement, Howard Simon from All the President's Men (at right), the baby-faced dad of Matthew Broderick, and a glimpse of Doris Roberts, what more can you ask for?
The passengers. NYC subway riders held hostage, Ebert knocked the remake for their blandness. Back in '74, he had gotten it exactly right on the original's — "the passengers may have been cast according to their stereotyped titles, but in the movie they're just a carful of scared people." Yes, The Maid, The Mother, The Older Son, The Younger Son, The Homosexual, The Secretary, The Delivery Boy, The Salesman, The Hooker, The Old Man, The Spanish Woman, The Alcoholic, The Pimp, Co-ed #1, Co-ed #2, The Hippie, and The WASP — all damn good.
August 30th, 2009 at 10:58 AM
I didn't understand why they wanted to remake it. And when I saw the above-ground chase scenes I thought, 'well, if I had any doubts about skipping this, they've now been removed.' Thanks for reconfirming. (Speaking of re-watches, which we weren't at all, I took a spin through 'awakenings' late last nightm I'll take that summer of love over anything woodstock'd dish out.) Cheers, good sir! Confront the week with brilliance and elan.