Tony Scott, no stranger to high concept film-making, here takes charge of a remake of a 70's high-concept thriller that has become something of a cult classic.
The plot:
Denzel Washington's Walter Garber works for the MTA in New York and, one unfortunate day, he finds himself in charge of the subway network at the very moment John Travolta's Ryder and his gang commandeer a train, and hold nineteen passengers as hostages.
The ransom?
A cool $10,000,000.
As the mayor plays for time, soon Garber becomes a source of fascination for Ryder and, quickly, their relationship blossoms to the point that Ryder will speak to no-one else, even if that means Garber will be forced to reveal truths about his past that could see him up on felony charges.
You know, it's been a long time since I saw the original, but I'm sure it was better than this.
Here, the only real standout is Denzel who, as ever, crackles in the leading role, albeit one that is primarily desk-bound, right up to the closing scenes.
James 'Tony Soprano' Galdofini pops up in a well received cameo as New York's mayor, but the real Achilles heel here is Scott's hideous directorial style, with much use made of choppy, staccato edit sequences, unnecessary zoom shots, and out of focus helicopters dominating the New York skyline.
Let's be honest, he is just a shade this side of Michael Bay in his excesses and, more often than not, it leaves the viewer with nothing other than a headache.
A shame then as, with a decent cast, this could have been a great remake of the movie Tarantino claims as inspiration for his debut feature, Reservoir Dogs.
As it is, this is rendered as nought but another unnecessary addition to the legacy of classic movies being updated for the drooling masses.
Dull.
3 out of 5
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