Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Those who remember the Walter Matthau/Robert Shaw original will likely be disappointed. That 1974 film could teach this 2009 movie a thing or two about sustained suspense and gripping plot twists. Taken on its own merits, the remake is a passable action flick with a trio of good performances. Bad guy John Travolta and good guy Denzel Washington do their best with the lukewarm material, and wimpy mayor James Gandolfini proves once again that he knows how to shelve his Tony Soprano persona to fine effect.

As the extras note in painstaking detail, much of the movie was actually shot in New York City's subway system, and the Blu-ray Disc does a solid job with scenes that obviously presented some lighting difficulties. Tunnels and trains look properly gritty, not amped up - a technical accomplishment that adds some much-needed realism to the plot. Also helping is the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound, with a dynamic and enveloping mix that has runaway trains squealing over tracks, frightened passengers screaming for their lives, and the occasional bullet ricocheting around you.

As mentioned, the featurettes and commentaries (including one by director Tony Scott) are subway-centric. Denzel seems to enjoy recounting what a bitch it was for a rich and handsome movie star to spend an extended amount of time making a film in a nasty tunnel. As a native New Yorker and regular subway rider, I found a lot of the transitoriented production nuggets more interesting than the movie itself.