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Giant Showing
By Michael Eisen, Giants.com

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JUNE 4, 2009

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - The Giants were immersed in a thriller today, and it had nothing to do with football.

Approximately 40 players, plus invited guests, were treated to a private screening in the Giants' new training facility of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, an edge-of-the-seat action movie that will premiere tonight in Los Angeles. The film stars Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro and James Gandolfini. One of the producers is Giants co-owner Steve Tisch, who has many outstanding movies on his resume and won an Oscar for Forrest Gump.

The players who attended the screening enthusiastically gave The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 two thumbs up.

"I thought it was great," linebacker Chase Blackburn said.

"I was on the edge of my seat the whole time," linebacker Zak DeOssie said. "Denzel and John Travolta together were great. I highly recommend it. I consider myself a movie buff. And on my movie scale, from one to 10, I'd give that about a nine-and-a-half."

Washington stars as New York City subway dispatcher Walter Garber, whose ordinary day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train. Travolta is Ryder, the criminal mastermind who leads a heavily-armed gang of four and threatens to execute the train's passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour. The action and tension build throughout the movie as Garber tries to outwit Ryder by using his vast knowledge of the subway system. But the one riddle Garber can't solve is this: even if the thieves get the money, how can they possibly escape?

"My favorite part was the way Denzel and John Travolta interacted together on the microphones," Blackburn said. "The action scenes are very good. Denzel is one of my favorite actors and John Travolta is another very good one. I would definitely recommend this movie."

This version of The Making of Pelham 1 2 3 is a remake of a 1974 movie of the same name that starred the late Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw.

"It was great to see a remake of the movie with Denzel and John Travolta," offensive lineman Kevin Boothe said. "I thought it was really well done. They added their own twists to it, but it was very similar to the original."

For the Giants players, it was a chance to enjoy another benefit in their brand new home. About 50 yards from their huge new locker room is a beautiful theater with comfortable seats and state-of-the-art sound.

"Not bad at all," Boothe said. "You don't even have to leave the facility and you can sit here and watch a movie. It's a great thing."

"We're high-tech now," Blackburn said. "The Giants are moving on up."