Opened June 12, 2009 | Runtime:1 hr. 44 min.
R: violence and pervasive language
This movie made me like John Travolta again. And that was something I thought wouldn’t happen. So big time kudos! I’ve always loved Denzel, I mean, what’s not to love. And he’s awesome here. He pulls off the, what I thought was an, unexpected plot twist SO convincingly and with such sincerity that I was shocked. I didn’t see the original with Walther Matthau, so I didn’t know what to expect.
Pelham was gritty, gripping, and well, a bit gory! If you’re squeemish, you might want to pass on this one. There isn’t a lot, but what there is is graphic. Just so you know, you’ve been warned.
Can I just say that John is pulling off the quippy one-liners a la Bruce Willis. And while he’s left off the Yippee-Ki-Yays… there are a hell of a lot o’ Mother-F***ers! His bravado, over-the-top self-confidence and ego that normally irritates the hell out of me REALLY work in this role, as does the creep neck tattoo and facial hair. I am likin’ this side of John, the creepy, asshole bad guy. He totally works it!
This movie really kept me on the edge of my seat, in a good way. I never quite knew what was coming next.
With that said, there were a couple of major plot errors that bugged the CRAP outta me. I can see where they were necessary to the whole storyline. But to me they were GLARING and it was all I could do to keep from screaming at the screen. I won’t reveal what they were as to avoid any spoilers. And maybe it wouldn’t bother others. I’m just a stickler for details. I know, I get a bit weird about this stuff.
My overall recommendation: if you like crime thrillers and don’t mind seeing someone’s brains get blown out in slo-mo, close-up, CSI forensic detail, then you are gonna love this movie!!
