Says that this movie is not a "remake". He's right, sounds more like a regurgitation.

Aren't there any new scripts out there?

Why would anyone watch this instead of the original? Why wouldn't the producers just make a shot by shot remake of the original? There has already been one remake starring Edward James Olmos in the Matthau/Washington roll. I'd actually be more interested in seeing that remake than this one.

The 1974 version of Pelham 1-2-3 captured a moment in NYC's history when it seemed to be spiraling out of control. Explosive crime. Budget crisis. Filth. The city seemed unmanageable and headed toward chaos. The original version caught all that with its wise-cracking cops using New York-isms that seem to have passed into history ("will ya?!"). It even had an Ed Koch look-alike (Lee Wallace) three years before Koch was elected. The best line was by the train dispatcher ("What do they want for their 35 cents ... to live forever?").

The TV version from the late 90s was awful, shot it appears in Toronto.

I haven't seen the new film but I suggest you buy or rent the original to see what the NYC of my youth looked like.

I guess Hollywood is going to rape, kill, and cannibalize every movie that I loved from my young-adult years. Between this, The Producers, and The Lathe of Heaven...well, it's getting harder and harder to take.

Oh well. At least they can't take away my DVDs.

Other than that I have nos strong feelings wither way

I guess it's about as far as you can get from hijacking a plane.

For claustrophobic hostage-situation movies, I'm partial to the first "Die Hard" movie. Sure it's got hokey parts, but it holds up well, and has enjoyable verbal sparring between the hero and villain.

Also enjoyed the original Pelham 1-2-3. Walter Mattheau was so great in his pre-grumpy-old-man days.

By the way, this was a much better-written review than the movie sounds like it deserved.

It would take all the unemployed and starving auto workers in Michigan to go on a killing spree to surpass what goes on regularly in New York. Stop kidding the rest of the nation. We were this far from officially renaming that place "Thanotopolis."

As far as Freddy Mercury playing a deranged gay killer...hmm. I have very little familiarity with Queen; I have never listened to serious music. But from what I know, I don't think he'd humiliate himself or make all gays look like monsters. I'd guess it generally takes a non-gay actor to play a monstrous gay. (Maybe Travolta is making up to his right-wing Christian friends for his run in the remake of Hairspray.

That would be TRUE ROMANCE (though THE HUNGER had some style). It had the advantages of a witty Quentin Tarantino script and several quirky cameos (Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Brad Pitt).

Speaking of Tarantino, the detail in RESERVOIR DOGS where the crooks were code-named after colors (Mr. White, Mr. Blond, etc.) was borrowed from the original PELHAM.

Someone explain the Stephen Colbert thing to me. First George Bush, then waterboarding, now Colbert?

Most are failures. I'd make an exception for "War of the Worlds", however. The newer version is substantially different from the original, plot-wise, and the special effects are excellent. The movie follows the classic story pretty closely, so H.G. Wells will be happy.

My wish is that when Jerry Falwell arrived at the pearly gates, he was greeted by a chorus of angels led by Freddie Mercury. That would've been great in soooo many ways.

...ENEMY OF THE STATE.

DOMINO...

You'd be better entertained picking dirt out of your ear.

The TV commercial for this movie is ample warning.

Hollywood eats itself and leaves out the good parts.

There are no ideas or stories, just properties.

Incisive and hilarious. Bravo, Andrew.

No, that would be THE LAST BOY SCOUT. Second only to THE LAST ACTION HERO as the worst of the last-gasp-of-the-80s action flicks. At least DOMINO had an interesting female lead.

From what I've heard all these years, he IS gay, albeit very, very closeted (ala Kevin Spacey). About 15-20 yrs ago there was some big National Enquirer "scandal" about it all, with some younger hustler guy or something. Just FYI. Anyway....

Tomreedtoon said: "It would take all the unemployed and starving auto workers in Michigan to go on a killing spree to surpass what goes on regularly in New York. Stop kidding the rest of the nation. We were this far from officially renaming that place 'Thanotopolis.'"

I've lived in NYC since 1981, and the city has undergone a significant and noticeable transformation in that time. NYC in the 80s looked pretty much like the NYC of the 70s, at least as seen in films such as the original PELHAM 123, and it was a time of high crime and crack crack crack. NYC today is cleaner, safer, and considerably more middle-America friendly.

That said, even in the 80s I traveled by subway around the city at all hours of the day or night, (I worked a night job and I also used to frequent the rock clubs), and I never really felt endangered. Obviously, one knew to avoid certain areas of the city, but the dangers facing New Yorkers going about their business, day or night, was alway greatly exaggerated by the media, and especially so in movie portrayals of an out of control urban jungle. To say that "what goes on regularly in New York" is still (or was ever) as deadly as would be a "killing spree" by all the unemployed auto workers in Michigan is ridiculous, a paranoid fantasy.

Exactly. I'm amazed at the way people who've never been to New York still view the city. I moved here about a year ago from Pittsburgh, and I have to say, the bad parts of NYC are nowhere near as dangerous as the bad parts of Pittsburgh. And I've heard similar things from friends who grew up in Philadelphia, Baltimore and other mid-size cities. If anything, I'd say people in New York are just generally indifferent to each other. Never have I felt scared for my safety here, day or night, on the street or on the subway.

I guess that's just the consequence of so many great movies being set in 70's/80's NYC - that's the only New York a lot of people know. (Speaking of which, if anyone tries to remake 'The Warriors', I'm officially giving up on Hollywood once and for all.)