Poetic Film Review: The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)

In Hollywood's realm, where classics roam,
A trend of remakes has made its home,
An attempt to recapture magic of the past,
But often falls short, and memories are aghast.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, a thriller so fine,
Was remade in 2009, but failed to shine,
Tony Scott's direction, a frenetic pace,
Lost the coherence and emotional weight of the original's space.

John Travolta's Ryder, a villain so bold,
Felt over-the-top, his performance grew old,
Lacking depth and restraint, a contrast to the past,
Robert Shaw's portrayal, a masterclass that would last.

Denzel Washington's Garber, a shining light,
A nuanced performance, a beacon in the night,
But even his talent, couldn't save the film from its fate,
A soulless remake, that failed to participate.

The city's backdrop, a bustling New York stage,
A hijacked subway train, a ransom to engage,
But the premise, once powerful, now felt so thin,
A post-9/11 world, where fear and surveillance spin.

The screenplay's flaw, a conceptual mistake,
A small group of criminals, no longer a threat to make,
The police state's presence, a modern world's might,
Made the film's premise, less convincing in sight.

The original's magic, a product of its time,
A 1970s America, with social unrest and crime,
The remake's attempt, to recapture the essence,
Failed to understand, the context and the presence.

A lesson to be learned, from this remake's demise,
Is that some classics, are better left to rise,
In their original form, a timeless work of art,
Not to be tampered with, or remade to depart.

(Note: The review in its original form can be read here.)

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