The Taking of Pelham 123

The Taking of Pelham 123 is a 2009 American thriller film directed by Ben Affleck and starring James Gandolfini, Denzel Washington and John Travolta. It is a remake of the 1974 and 1998 films of the same name, both of which are based on the novel by Morton Freedgood.

Plot
On June 12, 2009, Pelham 123, a Subway 6 train, departs from Pelham Bay Park Station at 1:23 p.m. Four different men, going by the codenames Mr Green, Mr Grey, Mr Brown and Mr Blue, board the train at 59th street, 51st street, Grand Central and 28th street respectively. They are all heavily armed with semi-automatic weapons and they quickly hijack the train, taking the seventeen passengers and motorman hostage.

Meanwhile, we are introduced to Walter Garber, a former police lieutenant with the New York City Transit Authority who was demoted to train dispatcher, going about his morning routine. It seems like any other day until he receives a call from Mr Blue, the ringleader, who demands that one million dollars be paid in cash to the hijackers in sixty minutes. For every minute over the deadline, they will kill a hostage.

While Garber reluctantly negociates with Blue, his colleagues attempt to deduce how the criminals plan to escape the subway tunnel if they are successful. Green is revealed to be suffering from a cold and sneezes over the radio, to which Garber responds "Gesundheit." Lieutenant Camonetti, an old rival of Garber's from the transit police, arrives to take over negociations and he sends Garber home.

Blue, having developed a rapport with Garber, demands that Garber be brought back. Camonetti refuses and tries to reason with Blue, who shoots and kills the motorman. Garber is then brought back and reinstated as the link to Blue. Garber surmises that one of the hijackers is a disgruntled transit worker.

The mayor decides to approve the ransom on advice from his wife, who tells him it's a sure way to ensure votes in the upcoming election. On the train, conversations between the hijackers reveal more about their characters; Green was an operator until he was caught taking bribes by the Transit Police and was sacked. Blue confides to Green that he does not trust Grey, who he considers volatile and dangerous.

The money is en route until a freak accident causes a pile-up and the ransom is delayed. As the deadline passes, Garber tries bluffing to buy some time, and Blue seems willing to listen. Suddenly, Grey pulls out his gun and tries to shoot a woman and her son. An undercover, plainclothes police officer who was amongst the hostages, stands in front of Grey and is gunned down instead. Blue scolds Grey for killing him.

A police motorcycle takes the ransom the rest of the way and they enter the tunnel. A SWAT team accompanies them and covers the train. In between all this, a police officer named Zachary Daniels has become caught in the tunnel and now lies in the potential firing line between the train and the snipers.

In a particularly tense moment, the money arrives and is handed over to the hijackers by Grand Central supervisor Cal Dozowics, seemingly without a hitch. However, a rat bites one of the snipers, who accidentally fires his gun. The hijackers return fire and a brief firefight ensues, culminating in Brown being shot dead. Grey kills Dozowics in retaliation, creating further tension between he and Blue.

Investigation by the authorities reveal the identity of Mr Bue, who is really Dennis Ryder, a former manager of a private equity firm, was sentenced to ten years in prison for investment fraud for stealing from the city pension fund. In spite of his plea bargain, he was still given ten years instead of the expected three. Garber guesses that Ryder is more interested in revenge then money.

Ryder's next demand for Garber is that all power be restored to subway line, all signals be set to green from 28th street to South Ferry, and all police officers are to be cleared from the tunnel. Having overidden the train's dead man's switch, the hijackers get off and set it in motion. Garber becomes convinced this is a diversion and runs off to catch the criminals himself.

In the tunnel, the criminals discard their weapons as agreed, except for Grey, who refuses to. This leads to a tense standoff with Ryder, which when Ryder shoots Grey dead. Daniels, who has been watching from a distance, opens fire, allowing Green to take the money and make his escape, while Ryder returns fire and wounds Daniels. Before he can execute him, Garber arrives. Finally face to face, Garber tells him he knows who he really is. Garber pulls a gun given to him by Camonetti, although he explains that he doesn't wish to shoot Ryder. With the police now closing in, Ryder gives Garber a ten second countdown; either Garber kills him in ten seconds or he kills Garber. As he reaches the final seconds of his countdown, Ryder pulls out a provocative gesture in an attempt to force Garber to shoot him. Suddenly, he is fatally shot from behid by Daniels. Meanwhile, the runaway train's automatic brake is tripped by an unalerted red signal.

With the three dead hijackers identified, it becomes clear that none of them had ay experience piloting trains. Garber and Camonetti, who has gained a newfound respect for Garber, work their way through a list of former motormen discharged for cause, eventually bringing them to Harold Longman. On the way to visit him in his apartment, we see Longman, known to the audience as Mr Green, rolling on the ransom money, now spread all over his bed. Garber and Camonetti arrive, but Longman quickly hides the money and bluffs his way through their questions. Thinking he has got away scott free, Longman's plan comes crashing down when he sneezes and Garber replies "Gesundheit."

Cast
James Gandolfini - Walter Garber

Denzel Washington - Dennis Ryder

John Travolta - Mayor Corell