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The Taking Of Pelham 123 (out 11 January 10, Cert. 15) John Travolta, Denzel Washington, James Gandolfini, John Turturro, dir. Tony Scott, 2009, cert. 15 Set in present day New York City, The Taking of Pelham 123 is Tony Scott's remake of a 70s thriller starring Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw. This time around the leads are competently portrayed by hostage taker John Travolta, transit civil servant Denzel Washington, negotiator John Turturro and NYC mayor James Gandolfini. While the pace and thrill of the original have translated well into the digital age, one cannot help but feel that director Tony Scott is trying too hard. Travolta's motives are signposted in big flashing neons almost from the get go, but this would be fine if not for unnecessary camera effects that manage to get in the way throughout. What could have been a successful updating winds up at time feeling a bit dated, with a slightly over-the-top car chase straight out of the 80s to boot. The screenplay is pacy enough to get you through to the end with reasonnable excitment, but despite decent plot and dialogues The Taking Of Pelham 123 fails to gel. A reasonnably exciting, fast-paced action thriller - worth watching for its quality cast and plot, but rather disposable. Want to make up your own mind? We have 2 copies of the bonus features loaded Blu-Ray disc up for grabs in our competition.
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Messiah V - The Rapture (out 11 January 10, Cert.15) Marc Warren, Marsha Thomason, Daniel Ryan, Rory Kinnear, Nina Sosanya, written by Oliver Brown, dir. Harry Bradbeer, 2008, cert. 15 Marc Warren is DCI Joseph Walker, intense, brilliant and with a troubled past that comes crashing into his new case. The case in question is a troubling one - a series of gruesome murders where the bodies are staged to deliver the killer's deranged message. While we can't help but miss Ken Stott as DCI Red Metcalfe in the lead, Marc Warren does a great job carrying the fifth instalment of the excellent BBC series. The main strength of The Rapture, however, comes not from the impeccable acting performances or disturbing murder scenes but from the writing. The script is tight, with great pace and delivering just enough clues to keep you guessing at the same time as the investigators. Indeed the identity of the killer remains well hidden until DCI Walker figures it out in a rather bloody end sequence. Messiah V - The Rapture is proof that great writing can make a great film. One wishes that Hollywood took a leaf out of that particular book every so often. |
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