In Theaters: June 12, 2009

Reviews of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love and Moon

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
Directed by Tony Scott
Starring Denzel Washington, John Travolta, James Gandolfini, John Turturro
***

One of the reasons that ’70s New York stories like Taxi Driver, The French Connection, and Dog Day Afternoon remain so popular—apart from the fact that they’re all damn good movies of course—is that they paint a vivid portrait of a city that no longer exists.  The Big Apple is still standing of course, but that grim version of a decrepit metropolis has long since disappeared, replaced initially by the neon-lit playground for the wealthy popularized by Wall Street and Sex and the City and then by the more sober, yet still vibrant melting pot of the post-9/11 era.  Because of the vast changes that have taken place in the city over the past three decades, the films of the ’70s take on an almost mythological quality, particularly for those of us who weren’t here to experience that period in person.  (It’s safe to say that those New Yorkers that did live probably don’t view those years with the same kind of starry-eyed fascination.)

While it may not have received the same glowing notices and awards attention as Taxi Driver and The French Connection back in the day, Joseph Sargent’s The Taking of Pelham One Two Three has deservedly become a classic in the years since its release in 1974.  Based on the best-selling novel by John Godey, the film is a lean and economical thriller enhanced by its setting—the trains and tunnels of New York’s sprawling subway system.  Along with Walter Hill’s The Warriors, which came along five years later, Pelham offers an authentic recreation of what it was like to ride the rails uptown and downtown in the ’70s  The picture also benefits from its ensemble of ace character actors, including Walter Matthau as the sardonic hero and Robert Shaw as the heavy.  Filmed entirely on location for a modest budget, Pelham is that rare kind of B-movie that plays like an A-movie.

In contrast, Tony Scott’s big-budget remake is an A-movie that plays like a B-movie.  That’s not exactly a criticism, by the way.  While the original film offers superior thrills, Scott’s Pelham functions just fine as diverting entertainment.  It helps that Godey’s original story is strong enough to stand up to just about any interpretation, even one helmed by the hyperkinetic director of Domino and Top Gun, who has never met a scene he couldn’t over-edit into semi-coherence.  Brian Helgeland’s efficient script thankfully bypasses too much unnecessary exposition, dropping viewers right onboard the titular Pelham-bound 6 train that’s about to be seized by a gang of ex-cons led by mystery man Ryder (John Travolta).  After quickly taking control of the car, Ryder radios the MTA control center and ends up talking to dispatcher Walter Garber (Denzel Washington), a longtime transit employee currently under investigation for bribery.  Sensing a potential kindred spirit, Ryder decides that he’ll only issue his demands through Garber, which understandably annoys the cop (John Turturro) tasked with getting the hostages off the train safely.  Also in the mix is the city’s embattled mayor, brilliantly played by scene-stealer James Gandolfini as a mash-up of Bloomberg, Giuliani and Koch.

As in the ‘74 Pelham, the chief pleasures here are the cast and the setting.  Despite spending the majority of the film apart, the two leads establish a strong rapport.  Neither actor delivers a career-best turn, but Travolta in particular is livelier and more engaging here than he’s been in ages, although there are a few scenes where his performance edges toward Nicolas Cage-like camp.  Like Sargent before him, Scott shot much of the film on location and New York residents in particular will get a kick out of seeing familiar sights like the Waldorf Astoria and the Q line to Coney Island.  (Although it’s worth asking how a 6 train coming from Grand Central could end up on the Q track.)  The main thing the new Pelham lacks—and what it never would have been able to replicate anyway—is that gritty ’70s attitude that distinguishes the original.  This is a major Hollywood studio production through and through: it’s slicker, louder and more frenetic than the low-key crime films of yesteryear, complete with a disappointing third act that turns what was an effectively claustrophobic thriller into a generic chase movie through the busy streets of Manhattan.  As major studio productions go though, it’s solidly crafted, well-acted and filled with moments of genuine tension and humor.  And if it encourages moviegoers to hit Netflix and check out the original version, that’s even better.

Verdict: See It

Read more about Pelham director Tony Scott here

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Also in Theaters

Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love
Directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
****
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s award-winning documentary provides a compelling overview of the life of Youssou N’Dour, Africa’s biggest-selling recording artist and a colleague of such renowned musicians as Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel (those are N’Dour’s soaring vocals on Gabriel’s generation-defining classic “In Your Eyes.”).  The film pays particular attention to his 2004 Grammy-winning album Egypt, which explored his Islamic faith through songs that married folk sounds with traditional religious music, an approach that sparked significant controversy amongst Senegal’s devout Muslim population.  Don’t be surprised if you feel the urge to create an all-N’Dour playlist after seeing this buoyant, music-soaked film.
Verdict: See It

Moon
Directed by Duncan Jones
Starring Sam Rockwell
***1/2
David Bowie’s son, Duncan Jones, makes a promising directorial debut with this low-key science fiction film about an astronaut (Sam Rockwell) who discovers the dark secret behind his solitary life on the moon.  Unlike a lot of contemporary science-fiction films, Moon doesn’t derive its aesthetic from Star Wars or Star Trek.  Instead, Jones reaches back to the genre’s ’60s heyday, using Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris for visual cues and the short stories of Ray Bradbury and Arthur C. Clarke for its simple—yet still surprising—plot.  To be honest, the film could benefit from a bit more narrative complexity; you keep expecting a final plot twist that never comes.  At the same time, it’s satisfying to watch a movie that’s not just out to score easy “gotcha” points off the audience.  This is one of those first films that makes you excited to see what the director is going to do next.
Verdict: See It

Food, Inc.
Directed by Robert Kenner
***1/2
You might think twice about tucking into a steak dinner after watching Robert Kenner’s eye-opening account of how the corporatization of the food industry has dramatically altered the way our meals get from the farm to the dining room table.  Unsanitary factory conditions, growing rates of food-borne illnesses and the high cost of healthy eating are just some of the many side effects Kenner covers in this documentary.  Enlightening and informative without being overly preachy, Food, Inc. is required viewing before your next trip to the supermarket or fast-food eatery.
Verdict: See It

Fear Me Not
Directed by Kristian Levring
Starring Ulrich Thomsen, Lars Brygmann, Parika Steen
***
Taking a premise that would normally be used as the basis for a white-knuckle thriller, Danish director Kristian Levring instead crafts an intimate psychological drama.  On an extended sabbatical from his job, a scientist (Ulrich Thomsen, most recognizable to U.S. audiences for his recent appearances in The International and Duplicity) signs up to participate in a test trial for a new anti-depressent medication.  While the pills give him a sense of peace he hasn’t felt in years, they also bring out more disturbing aspects of his personality.  Soon, he can barely stand to be around his loving wife and sets about dismantling their marriage in almost sadistic fashion.  In its own quiet way, Fear Me Not is very much a loose re-telling of the classic “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” tale, observing what happens when a man of reason gives in to his darker impulses.  There are no big scares or surprise plot twists that would no doubt be forced into a Hollywood version of the same script.  Instead, the film remains cold and distant, yet consistently involving—much like its main character.
Verdict: See It