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Wednesday, January 6, 2010

BD review: The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)

4:00 PM / Reviews / 1 Comment

My first review in aaaages...

For better or for worse, the new version of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three has to stand on its own feet, if for no other reason than that the bulk of its target audience will have never even heard of the 1974 original, much less actually seen it. As such, when I sat down to write this review, I told myself I wouldn't simply compare one version against the other. In the end, however, I can see that this is precisely what I have done. In a way, it was unavoidable. For every misstep in the 2009 version, there is a corresponding point in the 1974 version where that mistake is avoided, and while the remake does expand on certain elements that were underdeveloped in the original, it's hard not to see them as ultimately superficial. Taken on its own terms, The Taking of Pelham 123 is a reasonably competent thriller, but if you want some meat with your gravy, you would be advised to check out either the 70s original or the very similar Inside Man.

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