Stephen King Loved A Disappointing Remake Starring Denzel Washington & John Travolta

He might be a master of frightening readers to ridiculous lengths, but there’s more to author Stephen King than scares, psychotic clowns, and kids that shine. For one, his favorite film isn’t even a horror: the writer of books like “The Shining,” and Goodreads’ highly-rated entry, “The Stand,” deemed William Friedkin’s “Sorcerer” his number-one watch. King is fond of praising movies online. In a list submitted to Entertainment Weekly in 2003, the author put together an interesting playlist of films that had caught his eye that year, including Tony Scott’s “The Taking of Pelham 123.” A remake of the 1974 film starring Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw, Scott’s take starred Denzel Washington as an MTA dispatcher who faced off against John Travolta as the leader of a gang of criminals who holding hostages on a subway train. 

Praising the film at the time, King said: “Director Tony Scott’s most lucid and suspenseful movie. Denzel Washington is terrific in the part originated by Walter Matthau, but the real pleasure here is watching John Travolta’s balls-to-the-wall star turn as the villainous Ryder (called Mr. Blue and played by Robert Shaw in the 1974 version).” Now, of course, each to their own, but while King might’ve been buzzed over one of Tony Scott’s final works, the rest of the world wasn’t so enthusiastic.

Following its release, “The Taking of Pelham 123” was panned by critics. Sitting at 51% on Rotten Tomatoes, Scott’s remake was deemed by Deborah Ross of The Spectator as a “pointless, redundant, irrelevant film remaking in which nothing of weight is ever at stake, and no relationships are ever formed.” The Atlantic’s Ed Koch also compared it to the 1974 film, saying, “The original film was far superior and will be remembered in years to come, while the current remake will soon be forgotten.” General audiences weren’t too fond of the film following its release either, with the movie earning just over $150 million against a budget of $110 million.

In our ranking of Tony Scott’s best films, “The Taking of Pelham 123” does sit nearer the bottom of the pile, but not for being a terrible watch. For the sorely missed filmmaker, there are simply films like “True Romance,” “Top Gun,” and “Man on Fire” that make for a better time and are a true display of Scott at his best. King might have a bead on chilling spines and making your hair stand up on end, but in the case of “The Taking of Pelham 123,” this is still, even after all these years, a train ride that is worth missing.