Talented cast puts ‘Pelham’ on the fast track

“The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” is a by-the-numbers crime thriller. But because of the presence of some iconic Hollywood talent, the subway hijacking remake rolls along with added electricity.

The first of the feature films based on the John Godey novel of the same name, the 1974 original, starred then-A-listers Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw in a hard-boiled affair that reflected the gritty, grimy New York City of its era. This new take unfolds in a post-911 world where fears of terrorism heighten the stakes of a large-scale urban violence and a more complicated political environment involving suspect officials and pervasive media involvement.

Denzel Washington plays a cool-headed Everyman, the recently demoted Transit Authority dispatcher who becomes the unlikely hero, Walter Garber. In need to redeem himself over a brewing career scandal, he becomes the most effective voice trying to neutralize an over-the-top John Travolta in full-on “Face/Off” mode as the hotheaded Ryder, ringleader of a small gang who commandeers a subway car and takes its passengers hostage underground. Ryder’s motive turns out to be more complex than first thought; it references the kind of Wall Street-style chicanery we’re familiar with these days and thus helps further modernize the redo.

Flashy action veteran Tony Scott directs and produces. His career peaked in the 1990s with such works of varying quality as the corny “Days of Thunder” (1990), the clever “True Romance” (1993) and “Crimson Tide” (1995), the serviceable but less-than-original Denzel suspense drama that in some ways resembles their most recent collaboration here. Denzel is the best thing in “Pelham,” as he was in that submarine thriller.

While the body count slowly mounts and an approaching ransom deadline looms, Scott juices up the heated banter, high speed shenanigans, and time-line pressures of this race-against-the-clock set-up. But screenwriter Brian Helgeland — who endures his own inconsistent résumé including both the award-winning “Mystic River” (2003) and the infamous flop “The Postman” (1997) — offers up mostly typical characters and TV cop show scenarios. So the actors must pick up the slack to enliven the narrative.

Helpfully, the supporting cast is strong. James Gandolfini is the particular standout as the slick, gutless New York mayor, a far cry from the actor’s indelible role of Tony Soprano. John Turturro plays an NYPD hostage negotiator, Walter’s chief ally. They give “Taking” some realism.