MovieChat Forums > The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) Discussion > The 1998 remake is better IMHO

The 1998 remake is better IMHO

posted 13 years ago by intexor
11 replies | jump to latest

When people talking about Pelham it's either about this original one or the remake from a few years ago. The original is higher rated on IMDB although I think both are quite on par.

Even though the remake makes some mistakes like the casting of Travolta (who always goes way over the top when asked to play a villain) and they try too hard to make a hero out of Denzel Washington, the original has the opposite problem of lack in depth in the characters. They're all quite stale and one-dimensional. The TV remake follows the original almost exactly but has more character depth. It also has quite an attractive cast. It was never released on DVD for as far as I know but it is shown from time to time on channels like TCM and MGM. Definitely worth a watch if you liked the 70's version.

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] vpilutis 11 years ago

Filmed on the Toronto subway oh please.
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[–] loveagoodstory 11 years ago

I do agree that the characters could have been explored more in the 1974 and the book certainly does, it's very character-rich.

But the central element of the book and 1974 adaption is the cunning and control of the gang. They deliberately present themselves in a very confined space for over an hour but think they can still outwit the police and get away. This is carried by the characterisation of the leader, Ryder, which I'd say Shaw does very well indeed. This is like an early prototype of the equally superior Hans and plan in Die Hard.

Then there's the shouting, swearing, gobby, cocky Travolta in the latest one. He can do played-down menace, Pulp Fiction showed that, but this was anything but calm, commanding and always ahead.

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[–] kryptoman102 11 years ago

The remake is not better. I like the Walter Mathau character. All the characters are right in your face and show you their personalities very quickly you get a sense of who was in charge.

I LOVE THE ORIGINAL. I don't mind Travolta. I don't mind Washington. I just think that the freshness of the characters in the original make it one of the freshest and most amazing of the movies. I like the older movies where the dialog was an equal part of the movie. The 1974 version has great banter.

[–] bise-26456 11 years ago

I like both the 1974 and 2009 versions; however, I don't think I'll ever get the images of the obviously fake mustaches and machine guns in flower boxes out of my head. I kept looking for Inspector Clouseau to pop up at any moment as the on board cop. Mr. Blue's shocking fate assuaged much of my disappointment.

[–] Thee_Intimidator 11 years ago

The remake is absolute shít. End of.

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[–] smoogster 10 years ago

I like that the original had Frank Constanza and how little he appeared to have aged between this movie and Seinfeld 20 years later.

[–] spookyrat1 10 years ago

Neither of the remakes could measure up to the original's wonderful and non-contrived blend of humour and suspense.

[–] elduderino09 10 years ago

Agreed. Few remakes are worthy of the effort. The 2009 movie version was a victim of making it a "real" action movie. Ya know, lots of fx. Suspense and character interaction were the compelling points of the original.

[–] activista 10 years ago

The original version of THE TAKING OF PELHAM was classic '70s heist thriller stuff---I hadn't seen this film in years, caught on the THIS channel the other night, and had pretty much forgotten just how damn good it really is, with some genuinely funny moments---I actually think it's kind of underrated, compared to other well-known '70s crime flicks. Nice to see it getting some much deserved love here,though. Haven't seen the remake at all.

[–] BobbyDupea 9 years ago

The 70's version is underappreciated but far better than it should have been, thanks to a stellar cast and excellent writing and editing. The later version is somewhat of a disappointment, in my opinion.

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