Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day’s work for dispatcher Walter Garbe into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime.

It’s Deja-Vu all over again as Scott and Denzel reunite for this remake of a remake. I can’t help but wonder if the hijackers in this version will still ask for one meeee-lee-ion dollars or if today’s New Yorkers would seriously sit in a subway car with these goons for an hour (even if one of ‘em looked like an aging Tony Manero).

Rated R for violence and pervasive language.

Director: Tony Scott
Stars: Denzel Washington, John Travolta
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: 12 June 2009 (USA & Canada), 9 July 2009 (Argentina), 23 July 2009 (Australia)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

In The International, Interpol Agent Louis Salinger and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman are determined to bring to justice one of the world’s most powerful banks. Uncovering illegal activities including money laundering, arms trading, and the destabilization of governments, Salinger and Whitman’s investigation takes them from Berlin to Milan to New York and to Istanbul. Finding themselves in a high-stakes chase across the globe, their relentless tenacity puts their own lives at risk as the bank will stop at nothing – even murder – to continue financing terror and war.

Has it really taken ten years for Hollywood to get the Run, Lola, Run director to make his first American, big-budget action-thriller? Embarrassing. Still, who cares, with Owen and Watts also on board, all is forgiven; plus, whoever thought to re-team Watts with Armin Mueller-Stahl is a casting genius. What we also love the most about this picture sight unseen? The fact that we finally get to see what Clive Owen would have been like as 007. Rumor has it the project was delayed for a bit to tweak it as more of an action film …

Rated R for some sequences of violence and language.

Director: Tom Tykwer
Stars: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: 13 February 2009 (USA)

Insp. Jacques Clouseau teams up with a squad of International detectives who are just as bumbling as he is. Their mission: Stop a globe-trotting thief who specializes in stealing historical artifacts.

Ooh, they pulled a Rachel Dawes here and replaced Kevin Kline with John Cleese in the role of Chief Inspector Dreyfus. Shawn Levy passed on the sequel in order to helm Night at the Museum 2, making way for Agent Cody Banks director Harald Zwart (we’d like to hear Martin-as-Clouseau say his name). That must have saved the production beaucoup dollars. All of this switcheroo neatly conceals the plot, which sounds like Clouseau hunting down Nic Cage in National Treasure. Luckily, this one has even cuter support staff, with a band of inspectors that includes Andy Garcia, Aishwarya Rai, and Alfred Molina.

Rated PG for some suggestive humor, brief mild language and action.

Director: Harald Zwart
Stars: Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: 6 February 2009 (USA)