Gone are the days when a thriller about hijackers and the negotiator-hero who stops them feels fresh or necessary. At least, that’s how I felt after The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | Sep 4, 2023

The sub-par material is too much to overcome. I especially hate to see such a strong Denzel performance go to waste, but in reality there just isn’t enough here to make this anything more than an average movie.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Aug 25, 2022

Not quite as slick as the original, this latest take on the subway heist story still accomplishes entertainment at breakneck speed.

| Original Score: 6/10 | Nov 29, 2020

You can pinpoint the exact moment The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 falls apart.

| Nov 22, 2020

Tony Scott was a transformative figure for American popular cinema, and this film was one of his most effective: smart plotting, strong performances, and an enormous amount of style.

| Original Score: 8/10 | Jul 25, 2020

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is a magical film that transports you to a living, breathing New York in 1974. It tells a thrilling, cold, and often funny tale.

| Apr 1, 2020

But even [Denzel] Washington, mighty as he is, can't shoulder the burden of [Tony] Scott's haphazard direction, punctuated with edits so fast that, at times, it's like watching the film through an old-fashioned zoetrope.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 30, 2019

A crackerjack, popcorn-munching thriller, an enjoyably wacky piece of summer fluff entertainment that holds on for two hours but lets go in the home stretch and fails to leave a strong impression.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 6, 2019

Carried the whole load on his back, he did! Denzel Washington, American hero! Now somebody reward him with a good film!

| Oct 26, 2018

This is pointless, redundant, irrelevant film remaking, in which nothing of weight is ever at stake, and no relationships are ever formed.

| Aug 30, 2018

The original film was far superior and will be remembered in years to come while the current remake will soon be forgotten.

| Jan 17, 2018

Hauling their luxurious backstories like matching trailers, hero and villain face off with what seems like contractual symmetry.

| Jan 2, 2018

Clearly, this isn't about crime and it isn't about terror; it isn't even about the heist...it's about being fed up with the quintessential American city.

| Nov 16, 2017

Overall a good movie, good performances, got your adrenaline going.

| Original Score: B+ | Sep 12, 2017

It's funny how Scott's trademark blurry quick-cutting - once considered so cutting edge - feels so dated now.

| Original Score: C- | Jun 22, 2013

A professionally mounted genre exercise which tries to please both thriller and social drama crowds, and suffers mightily as a result.

| Original Score: C- | May 15, 2012

| Original Score: B- | Feb 18, 2012

You're so busy enjoying the sound and picture quality that you're inclined to forgive the film's missteps.

| Original Score: 6/10 | Feb 11, 2012

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 18, 2011

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 17, 2011