New York City subway dispatcher Walter Garber’s ordinary day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train. Ryder, the criminal mastermind who, as leader of a highly-armed gang of four, threatens to execute the train’s passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour.
As the tension mounts beneath his feet, Garber employs his vast knowledge of the subway system in a battle to outwit Ryder and save the hostages. But there’s one riddle Garber can’t solve: even if the thieves get the money, how can they possibly escape?
Director Tony Scott frames the hijacking of a subway train and the subsequent standoff between cops and crooks as a terrifying cat-and-mouse game, pitting an ordinary, overburdened train dispatcher, played by Denzel Washington, against a mercurial vengeful killer portrayed by John Travolta in the new action thriller The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3.
Washington says that he was attracted to the role by finding a most unusual character at the center of the action-thriller. “He’s not a cop, he is a civil servant,” the actor explains. “When he’s confronted with Ryder’s demands, he’s like, ‘Look, where’s the hostage negotiator? This is not what I do.’ Walter Garber is not a superhero. He’s scared.”
Similarly, John Travolta found his character, Ryder, to be loaded with possibilities. “Playing a bad guy is freeing because good guys restrain themselves,” explains Travolta. “With a bad guy you can create your own moral fiber for him in varying degrees, and usually out of a wide envelope of behavior. I can be wild, calm, nutty, charming, or whatever I want.”
Read the Full Production Notes
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
Starring: Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, Michael Rispoli, James Gandolfini
Directed by: Tony Scott
Screenplay by: Brian Helgeland
Release Date: June 12th, 2009
MPAA Rating: R for violence and pervasive language.
Studio: Sony Pictures
Box Office Totals
Domestic: $65,452,312 (64.7%)
Foreign: $35,655,077 (35.3%)
Total: $101,107,389 (Worldwide)