If you are looking for a very good action thriller, check out The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, a 1974 film that delivers on every front. It stars Walter Matthau as New York City transit policeman Lt. Zachary Garber, faced with the hijacking of one of his subway trains. The perpetrators, who are armed and dangerous, want $1 million within an hour or they’ll start killing their trainload of 18 hostages (which includes a fresh-on-the-job conductor).
The bad guys are led by the cunning Mr. Blue (Robert Shaw) and include Mr. Green (Martin Balsam), who is suffering from a bad cold; trigger-happy former Mafia man Mr. Grey (Hector Elizondo); and Mr. Brown (Earl Hindman). They are all wearing disguises. The good guy supporting cast includes Jerry Stiller, Dick O’Neil, James Broderick, Kenneth McMillan, and Tony Roberts. O’Neil plays the annoying big-mouthed Correll, who just wants his trains to run on time and is very vocal about not giving into the criminals. Eventually he gets his comeuppance (rightfully so). An irate supervisor (Tom Pedi) goes down in the tunnel to confront the hijackers, delivering the classic line “Why didn’t you go grab a g**damn airplane like everyone else?” It doesn’t go well for him.
Garber surmises that one of the hijackers must have motorman experience in order to operate a subway car. He also reveals that an undercover cop is one of the hostages. The Mayor (Lee Wallace), bedridden with the flu, must make the decision whether to pay the ransom, his antics providing Pelham with some funny moments (yes, that’s Doris Roberts as his wife). And yeah, everything is political. The race to get the ransom money there in time gives us a frenetic ride through the New York streets with many obstacles It’s a mystery how they shot it in hyper-busy Manhattan, and it’s very impressive.
Once they get their money the hijackers rig the subway car to run on the tracks automatically, and it careens at 70 miles an hour given the green light all the way. It’s like a roller coaster gone rogue and harrowing to watch. I’m not going to spoil the end here, but for any would-be criminals out there, buy some strong cold medicine. It could save your butt.
1974 was certainly not a PC year. There are some sexist comments about gay people and women in the workplace, and a black stereotype. In the credits one of the hostages is listed as The Homosexual. Never saw him or noticed him; maybe he was a closeted homosexual?
Pelham has been remade twice. There was a TV movie in 1998 with Edward James Olmos and Vincent D’Onofrio. That was followed by a 2009 theatrical film starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta. Directed by Tony Scott (Top Gun, True Romance) with a high-tech sheen, dizzying quick cuts, and Travolta chewing the scenery, the latter version works solely because of Washington’s everyman performance. He is the heart of the film. James Gandolfini has some good moments as New York’s mayor, and John Turturro and Michael Rispoli offer solid support. Fun fact: Pelham inspired director Quentin Tarantino to color code his own criminal gang in 1992’s Reservoir Dogs.