Much to the relief of the entire world, The Edge finally decides to blow Bono's brains out.

I should’ve enjoyed The Taking of Pelham 123 far more than I actually did.

Sadly, I had two Spanish people behind me and a Japanese girl in front all talking loudly. I followed standard procedure – they got the half turn, the full turn and then just flatly asked to be quiet, but all to no avail. Maybe I’m getting old and grumpy, but cinema etiquette seems to be deserting us at an ever increasing pace these days. Rarely will a cinema visit go by now without also having to put with a running commentary or some other annoyance. *grumble, grumble*

That aside though, The Taking of Pelham 123 is actually a half decent thriller. There’s no messing around and we quickly get whisked into the action, with Ryder (John Travolta) and his gang hijacking a subway train. Uncoupling it from the other carriages, they call in to train dispatch a demand for ten meeeeellion dollars. Failure to comply will result in a passenger being shot every minute beyond the deadline. The train dispatcher unlucky enough to take the call is Walter Garber (Denzel Washington), who over the phone, strikes up an unlikely rapport with Ryder. And from there, we’re all set: a Ryder vs Garber battle of wills.

If you’re thinking that it sounds a bit like Phone Booth on a train, you wouldn’t actually be that far off – both have a guilt, confession, redemption thing going on too.

Ok, yeah Pelham 123 promises more than it ends up delivering and goes out with a strange whimper rather than a bang, but it’s still pretty entertaining for a couple of hours. Although I’d highly recommend turning off the stereo Spanish/Japanese commentary where possible.

7/10.