The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

Very Cool!!!

An absolute waste of money

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

So many credits were shown in the movie but I think the lady officer on the train deserves a salute for her humble role as the beginning of the end for the four masculine robbers. The last frame of the movie was a classic. One of the finest shows of the decade and still mesmerizing. Bravo!

Joseph Sargent was a well respected director of mostly television, but he also helmed a number of feature films over the years. This may very well be his best. (I won't hold "Jaws: The Revenge" against him.) It's a masterfully directed, well plotted crime thriller, and one of the finest of that genre to come out of NYC in the 1970s. It doesn't boast wall to wall action, instead focusing on telling an actual story, but when the action scenes do take place, they're utterly gripping and nail biting. Best of all, the movie does have a good sense of humor, paying itself off in a couple of ways.Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, and Earl Hindman play a quartet of ruthless men who hijack an NYC subway train and hold almost 20 passengers hostage. Their demand? One million dollars in cash (back then, it would have been a lot of money), to be delivered in ONE HOUR. Otherwise, the passengers start getting executed. Intrepid Transit Authority lawman Zachary Garber (Walter Matthau) is the calm, level headed Everyman hero who tries to appease the bad guys while ensuring the hostages come out of the situation unscathed.Sargent and his top notch filmmaking team (including such luminaries as cinematographer Owen Roizman and editor Jerry Greenberg) craft a well paced bit of entertainment, enhanced by a dynamic and forceful music score by David Shire. There are some fun quips among the dialogue, and the performances are all right on the money. There's no scenery chewing here - even loose cannon Mr. Grey (Elizondo) is fairly low key while causing an overt amount of trouble for his co-conspirators. Shaw is a smooth villain, while Matthau is as amiable as he's ever been. In addition, there's a steady parade of stars and familiar character actors filling out a great many roles: James Broderick, Dick O'Neill, Lee Wallace, Tom Pedi, Beatrice Winde, Jerry Stiller, Nathan George, Kenneth McMillan, Doris Roberts, Julius Harris, Alex Colon, Michael Gorrin, Christopher Murney, Sal Viscuso, Bill Cobbs, Joe Seneca, and Tony Roberts. Most impressive!"The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" is a truly great thriller, one that reels you in early on and scarcely takes a breath until its satisfying, blatantly humorous denouement.Remade for TV in 1998, and for theaters in 2009.10 out of 10.

I'm always amused by those who wax nostalgic for 1970's New York. Truth be told, it was a chaotic, dreary period in the city's history as it teetered on the brink of bankruptcy. Corruption and street crime were rampant. It was far from paradise.This grittiness, however, inspired some fine movie-making which perfectly captured the atmosphere and culture in the Big City. With its frantic pace and frenzied intensity, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three represents such an effort. It boasts a fine cast and is well-directed. It features an outstanding score by composer David Shire. And it proves that action-thrillers can indeed be effective without massive budgets and an over-reliance on special effects.Four criminals code named Mr. Blue, Mr. Green, Mr. Brown and Mr. Grey mastermind the hijacking of an NYC subway train. Detaching a single car holding seventeen people, they demand one million dollars from the city, threatening to shoot one hostage for each minute the money is late. NY Transit Lieutenant Zachary Garber (Walter Matthau) is tasked with handling the crisis and communicating directly with their leader, the ruthless Mr. Blue (Robert Shaw). Garber is the quintessential New Yorker; cynical yet quick on his feet. With the help of Police Captain Rico Petrone (Jerry Stiller), he matches wits with the criminals in an effort to deliver the money, save the hostages and identify and apprehend the hijackers.The movie never drags and keeps us guessing. Despite its serious theme, Pelham has comedic elements- most notably Garber's early dealings with a visiting Japanese transportation delegation and his interplay with a Head Dispatcher (Dick O'Neill) more concerned with keeping his trains running on time than he is with a hostage crisis. Also funny are scenes with the neurotic Mayor of New York trying to gather the ransom by the deadline. It mirrors the buffoonery of many real life politicians unable to effectively handle a crisis and accurately reflects the very real money woes NYC had at the time.Matthau, Shaw, Stiller & O'Neill all perform their roles well, as do Martin Balsam and Hector Elizondo- two members of the heist crew. And The Taking of Pelham also has maybe the best ending I've ever seen in a film. A super movie. Highly recommended.

I found an old copy of the original John Godey novel when I was a teenager, and after reading it I immediately sought out the first filmed version of the novel. I remember thinking the movie followed the novel fairly well. Decades later, I found a DVD copy of the movie in my local library, and decided to give it another look. While my memories of the novel have faded, I thought the movie was still a great thriller. There isn't a wasted moment - it gets right to business very quickly, and the rest of the movie unfolds at a brisk (but wisely not TOO fast) speed. The cast is very good, with Robert Shaw finding the right tone to portray a bad guy who is very smart and dangerous. Walter Matthau also does well in a mostly serious role, though he adds some subtle humor to his words on occasion to make sure the movie doesn't get too serious for its own good. Definitely a lot better than the remake with John Travolta, which was too slick and loud for its own good.