EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE.
Goddamn, I never knew ANYONE could match Samuel L. Jackson with the use of the term ‘motherfucker’, but I’ll be damned, motherfuckin John Travolta just motherfuckin did that. The Taking Of Pelham 123 is a fun flick, and it’s a ride that I wouldn’t mind taking again, although it does start to fall apart towards the end. That doesn’t mean I didn’t have a hell of a motherfuckin time. The movie starts out with Jay-Z blasting through the theater speakers, and it shows the criminals that you will soon feel bad for loving them. You can tell they’re some bad motherfuckers. Then you meet Denzel Washington, who seems to have gained a few pounds recently. He’s a bribe-taking subway worker, and he ends up at the wrong desk at the wrong motherfuckin time. The film then unfolds over the 1 hour time limit that Ryder gives Denzel.
I have to say the acting was surprising well done. Denzel gave a very believable performance, and I didn’t want to kill John Tuturro (which is surprising), but the real star here is John Travolta. Travolta captured me, making me believe that he was Ryder. He completely brought that character to life. Tony Soprano also shows up. He’s alright, enjoyable character, but I felt he was lacking. The way Washington and Travolta communicate was of a Batman/Joker way, and I absolutely loved it. I would see the movie for their conversations alone. Mainly, the performances were strong and the action was good.
Overall, this was a subway ride that I would most definitely recommend.
8/10
NOTE: I tried to beat John Travolta’s “Motherfucker count”, I barely reached a third of his total.