These days it seem to be harder and harder to find a movie that rather than rely on special effects depends on the actors and people that they play to create the tension and mood. I must say in many ways “The Taking of Pelham 123” really does deliver thanks to great strong performances from Travolta and Denzel Washington.

Funny enough the special effects used in the film, although in places quite impressive, especially the futuristic hovering over the city map, actually felt more like a commercial break than part of the story. You have this great back and forth with the two main characters and then every couple of minutes it goes all zoom-in, zoom-out, speed-up, slow-down, a car chase here, a car crash there, end then back to the plot…

There are a few inconsistencies and an annoying teenage girlfriend who obviously doesn’t get what a “hostage situation” means. Ah, those clingy teenagers that need to here “I love you” every five seconds… Secondly the final scene made me crave for some kind of twist after the credits, rather than the several shots of a train in the underground.

Overall however it was a great experience. The special effects seemed somewhat disconnected but they did not get in the way of the story and acting. And these definitely stood out considering the amounts of mediocre stuff out there. One thing did bug me though - what’s with the glittery earrings???