An underrated Denzel Washington action thriller movie is on TV tonight

The remake saw the two-time Oscar winner reteam with the director of Man on Fire.

A remake of the classic '70s flick of the same name, the film sees heavily armed criminals - who are led by a mastermind named Ryder (John Travolta) - hijack a New York City subway train and threaten to kill everyone on board unless a large ransom is paid.

"Dispatcher Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) uses his extensive knowledge of the transit system in a bid to outwit the hijackers and save the hostages," the plot synopsis reads.

"But one question remains: even if the hijackers get their money, how can they possibly escape?"

The Taking of Pelham 123 was directed by Washington's frequent collaborator Tony Scott (Crimson Tide, Man on Fire, Unstoppable) and also features amongst its cast James Gandolfini, John Turturro and Luis Guzmán.

And though widely seen as inferior to the '70s original, we'd argue the remake is worth seeking out for Travolta and Washington's performances, for the connection that develops between their characters mostly via phone and for Scott's hyperkinetic direction.

The Taking of Pelham 123 is airing on TV tonight on ITV4 at 10pm. It is also available to rent on Apple TV, Google Play, Microsoft, Rakuten TV and the Sky Store.

Here are the other movies on TV tonight:

The Black Phone - Film4 - 9pm

Coming from the team behind Sinister – the scariest movie ever according to science – The Black Phone centres around a teenage boy abducted by a serial child killer known as The Grabber (Ethan Hawke).

Discovering a mystical black rotary phone in captivity that allows him to communicate with his captor’s slain victims, the child plots an escape.

Scream 4 - Comedy Central - 9pm

The slightly underrated fourth entry in the popular slasher franchise.

Extreme Prejudice - Legend Xtra - 9pm

Nick Nolte stars in this ’80s action thriller with strong Western elements that we've recommended before.

Righteous Kill - Legend - 9pm

The great Al Pacino and Robert De Niro reunited onscreen for this 2008 crime thriller. Sadly, it wasn't very good.

Butterfly on a Wheel - Legend - 11pm

After kidnapping the daughter of a couple, a man (Pierce Brosnan) forces the two (Gerard Butler, Maria Bello) to comply with a series of daunting tasks in this 2007 thriller.

Bad Boys II - Film4 - 11.05pm

'Bad boys, bad boys / Whatcha gonna do?'

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