CASEY PHILLIPS: Disney's "Bolt" spoiled this movie for me. It's hard to buy someone's intent to kill when you're reminded of a cute animated puppy every time they laugh. Travolta did such a good job as the voice actor in that movie last year that it's hard for me to buy him as a killer so soon.

Despite that, "Pelham" is a well-paced, well-shot film with great action sequences reminiscent of director Tony Scott's other thrillers such as "Enemy of the State" and "Man on Fire." Unfortunately, it falters in the modernization of the 1974 original.

In that film, Robert Shaw plays a British mercenary, which is a menacing profession. Travolta plays a former banker, which is about as scary as the cyber terrorists in "Live Free or Die Hard" -- that is to say not a lot. Take note screenwriters, don't make your villain's day job be something people got wedgies for being good at in high school.

HOLLY LEBER: "Pelham" is predictable, sure, but it does hold a viewer's attention. I did, however, wonder when Keanu Reeves was going to show up -- a smart but maniacal bad guy and hostages on mass transit -- "Speed," anyone?

The retooling of the Shaw mercenary to the Travolta disgruntled broker is timely, yes, but almost politically incorrect. Is this a warning that unless the stock market improves, men who fell on Wall Street are going to fly into psychosis and start taking hostages?

CASEY: Following that logic, a (hypothetical) remake of "Full Metal Jacket" will center on school crossing guards instead of U.S. Marines.

If you can look past Travolta's lingering canine-ness, Washington is suitably cool, calm and reserved. He reminded me of a similar role Kevin Spacey played in "The Negotiator." He's not a typical hero yet he manages to be convincing as an everyday man dealing with extraordinary circumstances. Conversely, some of his action-oriented scenes later in the film seem less realistic as a result.

HOLLY: Garber's think-on-his-feet-ability was showcased even more by writing a lot of the supporting characters as either hysterical or as idiots worthy of a kick in the head and an eye roll. The movie is mostly sharp, but it has dull-minded moments. It's irritating when a minor impediment that could be easily solved is made into a big deal for the purposes of plot. A 5-year-old would know that running down the street after a moving vehicle is ineffectual.

CASEY: If you never saw "Bolt" or the original film and have an irrational fear of stock brokers, "Pelham" will hit you on all the right levels. For the rest of us, it's a passable action movie that doesn't achieve distinction as a hit or a miss.

HOLLY: Hey, I just hope no knocked-down financiers get any big ideas. Otherwise, my New York-dwelling family better stay off the subway. And that Travolta's "look-I'm-a-bad-guy" handlebar mustache doesn't become a trend.

E-mail Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com and Holly Leber at hleber@timesfreepress.com