BRIAN Helgeland's screenplay adaptation of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 takes a fresh stab at Joseph Sargent's 1974 instalment.
This version has Denzel Washington and John Travolta pitting their wits against each other when a New York City subway train is hijacked with numerous hostages on board.
Hollywood's admiration for New York has always been apparent, and the love for the underground train network has proven to be close to the heart of director Tony Scott.
His 1979 cult gang flick The Warriors is probably the most iconic film to revolve around the city's subway system, following a gang from Coney Island trying to get home after a shooting they were framed for in the Bronx.
But gone are the bad old days when travelling on the notorious, crime-ridden subway meant taking your life in your hands. Now, the biggest threat to the network is terrorism. And what The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 does is switch the fear of being the victim of a bombing to the fear of being executed one by one as the city fails to make the ransom payments demanded by sadistic hostage taker Bernard Ryder (Travolta).
Ryder is an ex-con who orchestrates the hijacking of the number six train to Pelham Bay Parkway. When the train fails to reach its next scheduled stop, Walter Garber (Washington), the traffic controller on duty, contacts the driver's cab to see what the problem is.
Travolta's tough-guy bravado is hard to swallow. His handlebar moustache, beefcake physique and jailhouse tattoos are more comical than intimidating. But with a splattering of obscenities and a few random gunshots, you are forced to accept that he's the real deal. The voice of reason, Washington, on the other hand, is instantly likable, if not a little too calm and collected for his own good.
As a thriller, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 doesn't really get going. The premise is excellent and the potential for a great story to unfold is high, but like so many shiny, over-polished rehashes of old classics, it doesn't deliver anything close to the 70s effort.
All the aspects which made the original a great watch have been stripped away and sterilised, leaving a aesthetically pleasing film, but with a serious lack of substance.
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 is proof that two A-listers can't save film from the depths of mediocrity.
