Ryder: Ok... now somebody else has to die. Two people, maybe all of us! Did you hear me?
Ryder: No, I gave you instructions and you know the consequences.
Walter Garber: I mean don't you have a plan B?
Ryder: No, plan B is enforcing plan A... and the minute you stop believing me mother fucker, that's it!
The dance was beautiful. A run-of-the-mill crime drama takes on a whole new twist when we realize the characters we've been watching aren't at all who they seem to be. John Travolta is Ryder, the lead mastermind behind the hijacking of a subway train car and Denzel Washington is, Walter Garber, the "average civil servant" whose dumb luck it is to be on duty when Pelam 123 is taken hostage with its passengers. The key to the movie is the unfolding of each character, the peeling away at the surface layers to reveal people almost counter-characteristic of who we thought they were. The dance between each as they talk to each other during the crime is flawless. The script was well written as Ryder demands open and raw honesty from Garber. With a gun and many vulnerable hostages, Ryder forces Garber to admit and explain actions he has taken, decisions he has made in his life. Both characters are much more than they seem to be and it makes for a very watchable movie. I revel in the joy of a good film that commands your total attention.
BITE: I loved the characters and the actors were fantastic. Well done.
