'The Taking of Pelham 123' another pointless remake

Director: Tony Scott

Cast: Denzel Washington, John Travolta, James Gandolfini

Cert: 15

If ever a film didn’t need re-making it’s surely the l974 classic starring Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw, yet here is an unnecessary update that fails completely to capture the tension and depth of character of the original.

The plot involves a gang of sociopaths, led by Travolta as an OTT Ryder, all snarls and nothing much else, who steal a New York subway train and hold the city to a $10m ransom.

Dispatcher Walter Garber (Washington) must play out a race-for-time drama … only there isn’t any drama since Scott opts instead for a shallow, flashy film full of useless action and hardly any feeling for character development.

A disappointing film that need not have been foisted upon us.

Star Rating: 2/5