Easy as ...

I see by res ipsa loquitur that they remade "The Taking of Pelham 123."

I was riveted by that movie as a kid, and watched it again about twenty years later without huge disappointment. Some of the plot devices were obviously corny on second watching, but the dialog and interplay between the characters was still quite good.

This time around, it stars Denzel Washington and John Travolta. Those two could make the interplay part happen, but I'm afraid the rest of it might be a big-budget yawner. A. O. Scott's review here, if you're interested. Reading now …

Well, look at that. It's a (an?) "NYT Critics' Pick." Scott calls it a "canny, energetic updating" and an "efficiently engineered adrenaline-delivery system" and says about the interplay:

The two actors interact mostly via squawk box, cellphone and radio, as Ryder [Travolta] in his purloined subway car issues demands to Garber [Washington] at his desk. But even at a distance from each other, they conduct a tag-team master class in old-style movie star technique, barreling through every cliché and nugget of corn the script has to offer with verve and conviction. Even when you don’t really believe them, they’re always a lot of fun to watch.

Also, Guzman, Turturro, Gandolfini in supporting roles.

Hmmm. Hmmm!

See res's post to watch the trailer from the original. The NYT piece has a clip from the new version, in the sidebar, if you haven't already clicked over.