New on DVD

Tony Scott directs this remake/update of the 1974 thriller about the hijacking of a New York subway train in the tunnels. The original has become something of a blue-collar cult film and is best forgotten when approaching this slickly efficient and almost generically stylized take on the story. Denzel Washington is a disgraced New York transit official who is thrust into the middle of a hostage situation when a gang leader (John Travolta) insists he remain on the other end of the tunnel radio as he makes his demands. Scott tosses in a needlessly messy race through the streets, but otherwise it's more mind game than action film and charges along the tracks without distraction or detours. It's never more than a well-made thriller, but that's enough.

There are two commentary tracks, one solo with director Scott (whose measured speech and British accent always make him sound more thoughtful than many of his films deserve) and one with screenwriter Brian Helgeland and producer Todd Black, whose back and forth is livelier. Both try to convince us that this is a smarter film than the original. The half-hour "No Time to Lose: The Making of Pelham 1 2 3" is a better than average making-of featurette and there are featurettes on the NYC subway system and the film's hair stylist. It's a substantial enough collection of supplements for a film that really doesn't call for such detail.