I have been waiting to HATE this film since it was announced. Needless. Pointless. Unfun. I was geared to despise the film. This is one of those films that as it was cast, updated and put together, EVERYTHING that I loved about the original was being rendered mute.

The very idea of Denzel as Walter Matthau just depressed me. Denzel's a great actor, but Matthau was metaphysically perfect for the role.

Travolta as Robert Shaw. It grated me at every conceivable level.

The score by Lalo Schifrin. GENIUS.

FUCK THIS REMAKE.

And yet, even thought the screening was pretty much at the worst possible time and location for me - I had to pull an all nighter working on the DVD column and reading a new draft of a project I'm producing and had to turn notes around by morning. Yeah. That 10 am screening was a BNAT for me. But powered by too many 5 Hour Energy drinks I decided to give it a shot.

Upon fighting Rush Hour traffic to the OTHER SIDE of town - Father Geek and I take our seats as one other attendee sat in the auditorium for the longest time. Until the others showed up. There had been a dreadful screening a few days before where the sound was dropping out repeatedly during the first 30 minutes and the audience turned ugly and the screening was canceled as many critics left the theater rather than endure shitty projection and sound.

But from what I heard, they kinda were digging what they were seeing.

There was a trailer for what I've heard is the terrific film, ARMORED. I'm curious about it.

The opening credits for THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123 scared me. It kinda looked like we could possibly seeing something more crappy. Loud, abrasive, jittery. I was concerned. It was the exact opposite of the holy fuck cool credits for the original.

However, shortly the film began - and it was instantly obvious that Tony Scott was more in his CRIMSON TIDE mode than his DOMINO/MAN ON FIRE stylization. This looked like what many people refer to as "a real movie."

The next couple of hours passed without fury or anger. I didn't once hear my brain attempting to create clever metaphoric rips at the film. Instead I was actually compelled by Denzel Washington and John Travolta... and James Gandolfini. I was on board PELHAM 123 and I wasn't questioning my loyalty to Matthau or Shaw.

I tell you what did it. During the end of the opening credits I saw a name that put me at ease. Brian Helgeland. Brian is one of the best MAN writers in the biz. You want characters to pop with testosterone and the scarring of tough lives... sit Brian down with a ribbon fed typewriter in a smokey room with a slowly turning creaky ceiling fan and I feel you'll get exactly what you want. Crisp snappy material.

The moderate genius of this film is that they didn't attempt to remake THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE. They decided to take the loose framework. Man decides to hold city at ransom with hostages taken in "brilliant & brutal" subway plot - and deals with City Transit Employee.

One of the problems with casting Denzel as a Matthau-esque character would be that Denzel projects intelligence and smarts. Whereas Matthau looked like a roughly sculpted clay statue of John Q Public. However, here Brian has crafted a sub-plot about Denzel having been a more prestigious man, that is in the doghouse. That fits him. He's a very smart man that has been humbled and is just trying to keep his head down till the problems blow by.

Then there's Travolta. As anyone with eyes and ears can tell. This is that Travolta. The one that we saw in BROKEN ARROW giving birth to this site's name. It's Travolta in his bugnuts looney tunes performance from FACE/OFF. And that seems like such a dreadful concept for who Robert Shaw was.

I don't know about you, but to me... Robert Shaw in the original Pelham is one of the scariest mutherfuckers on film. You do not cross him. You do not fuck with him. You do not look him squarely in the eye.

Who on Earth is AFRAID of John Travolta? I don't care what sort of Village People moustache and badass tattoos and shades you give him... He's still fucking Travolta and fucking Travolta doesn't scare me!

Well, fucking Travolta's bugnuts character in this movie is pretty damn scary. Not at all like Shaw's character. Shaw was a man in total control. Travolta is a nightmare. If you're a hostage negotiator - you kinda want a man that knows what he wants. But Travolta's character seems to want to die. To not be afraid of dying. And he certainly gives two shits about the lives of the people in his Subway car. He's fucking bonkers. The voice on the radio changes? Fuck you, I'm killing someone. 1 minute late, BANG and you know he'll do it because he seems to have a jones for killing.

Now - why is Travolta acting the way he is? Pretty simple really. As Helgeland lays it out, I absolutely buy it. Travolta's "Ryder" is a man who used to date an ASS model. Seems to be Catholic. Likes using Wall Street lingo. But when it is revealed exactly who he is, that his character is an insane asshole that loves to scream and dehumanize folks... it makes sense to me. Travolta is an ex-loathsome Wall Street raider that fucked people's pensions up and was sent to prison, where he was buggered on a regular basis as he was made the "ass man" - but god put him in a cell with the GUZMAN who clued him into this scam - and Travolta ran with it.

But I buy his character.

I do not like this movie more than the original, but I do like this movie. When the film turns brutal, it is brutal. Tony Scott and the team behind this film did a real good job. This is a very entertaining and fun film with solid writing, directing and acting.

The only part that I disengage a bit is when Denzel becomes a mobile hero. I don't think I needed that. I would have been fine with Travolta getting nailed at an Airport or other location by Turturro and his men.

But that's a small quibble. THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123 does not derail destroying our warm cuddly feelings for the original. Instead, it is an express train that never gives you time to really hop off.

Good R rated fun!