Taking of Pelham One Two Three

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Dog Day Afternoon. Annie Hall. Taxi Driver. In the pantheon of classic New York films, these three take pride of place. But there are, of course, others, some of which have fallen through the cracks over the years, criminally overlooked and unjustly relegated to commercial-riddled Saturday-afternoon TV broadcasts. Joseph Sargent's The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is just such a picture. This taut 1974 thriller about four armed men who highjack a New York City subway train and hold it and its passengers for ransom may be hopelessly dated (it's loaded with ethnic stereotypes, impossibly wide neckties, and bad hairdos--and there are no explosions!), but that's part of the fun. A gruffly sardonic Walter Matthau heads a fine cast that includes Jerry Stiller, Hector Elizondo, Martin Balsam, and a perfectly villainous pre-Jaws Robert Shaw. Think you'll find a better film that depicts a nearly broke city led by an inept mayor forced to deal with armed terrorists? Fuhgeddaboutit! --Steve Landau

Customer Reviews:

We Need a special Edition!.......2007-08-20

This is one of those films that it is so good but has not been able to acquire the DVD treatment it deserves!

Please if you have not viewed this film and love 70s thrillers please do yourself a favor... and don't buy it just yet rent it so you can buy the special edition when it finally comes out since I have been waiting since DVDs were created and became the mass market for movie viewers! :)

Juan

A thrilling thriller.......2007-07-24

This 70's thriller is an underrated film, more like 4.5 stars for me. With a good cast including Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw, taught direction, and a really good script.

There are a number of classic moments, and naturally with the film including Walter Matthau its not without some humourous moments. Perhaps most noteably after he insults some Japanese guests, who he thinks don't speak English...

The false names used by the villans in this film were the inspiriation for Quentin Tarantino's 'Reservoir Dogs'. It also has a classic music score by David Shire, which has one of the best movie themes of the 70's. Add this to its many other qualities and you have a great piece of entertainment which you will enjoy a lot.

Stand clear of the closing doors, and hang on!.......2007-07-24

I seen this movie back in the 70's as a young kid with my brother.
This movie was fantastic. Grabs you from the beginning, excites you in the middle, and
leaves you breathless at the end. Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw give an academy award
performence as the cat and mouse chase. Too bad they dont make movies as good as these
anymore.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.......2007-07-06

Joseph Sargent's pulsating cat-and-mouse thriller gives off a potent seventies flavor, a time when the Big Apple was in fiscal crisis. Salty New York characters are in abundance, and dog-faced Matthau fits right in, effortlessly assuming the jaded, rumpled contours of veteran Manhattan cop. As Z's chief nemesis, Shaw's Mr. Blue is a study in contrasts: cold, sharp, organized, and ruthless. In a city already coming apart at the seams, can overextended authorities prevail over these audacious criminals?

Take this A Train.......2007-04-23

I was turned on to this movie after hearing David Shire's soundtrack from Jim Aquino's "Fistful of Soundtracks" internet station -- so I came to the movie wanting to get more music. I noticed that Hollywood is currently recycling the soundtrack for some goofy new crime movie (as of April 07) -- but here I get the music set to the original images.

One reviewer here compared it to the Diehard movies -- a good comparison. I told my wife it was it was Diehard without the action, more of a psychological test. The movie is extremely enjoyable for how it depicts criminals, the law, and the people caught inbetween -- specifically how New Yorkers circa the mid-70s were. There are many goofy jokes about gender and race that just reek of the movie's time (fortunately the film, at places, shows the ability to criticize itself for having those biases).

But the movie really works because, unlike the Diehard movies, you get this very local, very New York feel. Not only are the people racist or sexist -- they just about hate everyone they work with -- the antipathy every character shows makes this movie about a hijacked subway car work. People here do not lie down when pushed, and all of the characters (except for Shaw's brilliant British merc) have a ironic edge to most of what they say. Matthau and Stiller here work great together as a pair of transit detectives. And did I say the score is awesome?

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