User reviews

One of my favorite films from the seventies is The Taking of Pelham One, Two Three because it's so New York. Of course the film was shot entirely on location in The Big Apple including the interiors which helped greatly. But more than that, the characters have all the New York flavor about them with one exception.

The cat of course is led by Walter Matthau who plays a Transit Police Lieutenant. His character is a kind of combination of Archie Bunker and Detective Lennie Briscoe from Law and Order, in many ways not terribly admirable. He's also a transit cop and at that time the Transit Police were a separate entity. They were merged into the regular NYPD during the Giuliani administration.

There's no real glory in the Transit Police, these guys were mostly charged with dealing with drunks and kids with loud boom boxes. If a homicide ever occurred the NYPD quickly took it over as they would in most situations. But this ongoing crisis on a train on the Lexington Avenue Local occurs on his watch and it's career make or break case that Matthau is very aware of. And he proves fully capable during the crisis.

The crisis is four men, Robert Shaw, Earl Hindman, Hector Elizondo, and Martin Balsam mount a carefully planned assault on a subway train out of Pelham Bay station in the Bronx in mid-Manhattan and hold it and the passengers for ransom for a million dollars. The outsider to New York is Robert Shaw in one of his best roles, a former British army officer and mercenary. During the course of the robbery they kill a station supervisor played by roly poly Tom Pedi, one very quintessential New Yorker and their coldblooded villainy is established.

In fact the whole cast is a microcosm of the ethnic strains of New York City which makes the film so enjoyable, especially to one who lived there, the first 49 years of his life. Even the mayor is portrayed as a weak, fumbling nonentity and back then our mayor was one Abraham D. Beame who was just that, probably one of the worst mayors the city ever had. Tony Roberts has a very good role as the tough as nails Deputy Mayor concerned about both his boss's political career and resolving the crisis.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three once the hijack is done is suspense filled and doesn't let up for a moment. I can't give the ending away, but the final shot of Walter Matthau's face as the end title music starts and the credits begin to roll is priceless.

There are many disappointing action pictures out there – this is not one of them. The genius of the film is there is no wasted motion. The picture starts right with the plot – no introduction or character development. The characters are allowed to develop as the plot moves along.

Which brings us to pacing – the pacing in this picture is excellent. It moves right along and never stops, never slows, never goes too fast. This is the strongest element of its success.

Another strength is its economy of motion. Many action pictures bore us with unneeded car chase scenes, shoot-em-ups, explosions and other mayhems that are used as filler when true creativity comes up short. This film needs none of that. Only that which is necessary is shown. Only that which needs speaking is spoken. This film is deftly written and crafted with great economy and this underpins the excellent pacing. It moves right along because there is no wasted motion as there is in most other action pictures.

This does not mean there is no action, there is fabulous action, but only such action as is necessary to move the plot along. There is no action simply to occupy time until the requisite 90 minutes are up.

The directing is equally economical. No fancy shots, shaky cameras, or special effects – just good, straight forward directing.

I doubt this picture could be made today for the above reasons. The script readers would reject it for 'lack of development'; 'not enough action'; 'no romantic interest'; and all the other brainless formulas script readers dole out. The producers would demand 'more action' and 'camera work' from the directors. And, of course, a romantic interest (in some state of undress) would have to be shoe horned in.

Film students should study this picture. From it they will learn that brevity is a virtue and mindless formulas are just that - mindless.

It is my belief that the finest era for films was the 1970's. Consider all the classics that were produced in that era (Godfather I and II, Patton, The Sting, Jaws, Mean Streets, The Exorcist, The French Connection, Star Wars etc). My belief was recently validated by Jodie Foster, who essentially said the same thing. One of the reasons why the films were great was that the directors were ostensibly in control of the films, rather than by a committee of the usual Hollywood "insiders" who think they know what people want to see, but rarely make the correct decisions.

I know that this film was re-made( for TV)--God knows why--but I'm sure if they attempted another film version Matt Damon would be playing the grizzled transit police cop (Matthau's role) and Jude Law would be playing the Robert Shaw role. That's another reason why the original and other films of the 70's were so great: the casting was more believable. Today Hollywood is so incredibly youth-obsessed that actors are completely miscast.

I am not stating that this is another 70's classic, but even this film is far superior to many of today's films. And yet, I'll bet you couldn't find "Pelham" in your local video store.

I love several things about this film. The first thing to hit you is that wonderful, funky score that in some parts sounds like controlled chaos. I love the script, which is not completely dark despite the underlying theme, as there are some very funny moments throughout the film: for instance, the chagrined look on Matthau's face when he discovers the Japanese visitors can speak English.

There are many examples of mistaken identity in this film: the supervisor who is gunned down is called "goombah", but he isn't Italian; Matthau thinks the black police captain is white over the radio; Matthau mistakes the long-haired undercover cop (who was shot on the train tracks) for a female. I also love the character who plays the mayor, who unbelievably bears a striking resemblance to Mayor Koch, who was elected 3 years later!!!! All in all a great action film, and one that will hold up for years.

Addendum: Well, they're doing it--they're re-making this film because Hollywood is almost completely bereft of new ideas (see "Josie and the Pussycats" "Bewitched" the upcoming "I Dream of Jeannie"). I half-expect they will remake "The Paper Chase" next with P.Diddy as Professor Kingsfield.

I suppose any era when you make the transition from child to adult is a tough one, but the 1970s was when I did, and New York was where. It wasn't a pretty time, with headlines like "Ford To City: Drop Dead" and about Kitty Genovese. At times the City seemed in free fall, and every adult's job consisted of ducking your head, walking into the oncoming storm, and keeping things working until the end of your shift. After that, it was some other adult's problem.

That's why this movie is so good: it captures that moment in the City, when the cleaning was imperfect, adults expressed their frustration freely and profanely, and efforts by film crews to make sure there was no trash on the street when the cameras rolled were doomed to failure. All the men wear ties like they're nooses around their necks, and confronted with a gang of crooks which have taken over a subway train on New York Transit Police Lieutenant Walter Matthau's shift, he's the adult who has to deal with the problem. Joseph Sargent did such a good job, that it's been remade twice; each time, it's been a decent thriller, but little more, a dependable property. This version is the real deal.

A group of heavily armed men, all wearing the same disguises board a subway train underneath the streets of New York. They quickly take over the train and hold seventeen passengers hostage. They look and talk like professionals. They use codenames. Their ransom demand is One Million Dollars. Are these just maniacs without a plan? And if they do have a plan, how are they all going to escape alive while the world watches?

Right away, this film grabs you and doesn't let go. Every character plays their role remakably and memorably. Enough suspense to keep you chewing your nails until they are stubs...and most of all, a realistic and engrossing storyline. You will literally be on the edge of your seat, wondering where the next plot twist will take you.

You can easily see where Quentin Tarantino borrowed ideas from this movie to make Reservoir Dogs...and in my opinion, this film makes Reservior Dogs look like a second rate film. Its truly a shame most people aren't familiar with this movie and it doesn't have the allure or big star power to draw in new fans seeking out a great film to watch

If you happen to run across The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three though, do not pass it up! This is honestly the best heist movie I've ever seen. 10 out of 10 Rating.

Modern tough-guy filmmakers like Quentin Tarentino acknowledge their debt to this pedal-to-the-metal thriller, directed by Joseph Sargent from John Godey's bestseller. Walter Matthau is a hoot as the savvy NY transit cop who's smarter than he looks, well-matched by Robert Shaw as the icy mercenary whose gang has hijacked a subway car for a one-million-dollar ransom.

This film's been imitated so often because its makers were really at the top of their game. Owen Roizman (THE FRENCH CONNECTION) handled the gritty location photography; scripter Peter Stone contributed terse, funny dialogue; scene-stealers like Martin Balsam, Jerry Stiller, Dick O'Neill and others made their roles indelible; and David Shire's percussive score set a standard for the genre.

The ending is classic. When you have Matthau as your star, this is how to end your movie.

A group of criminals highjack a subway train and demand $1 million from New York City. Transit cop, Lt. Garber tries to work the situation out, but it seems the gang have planned everything to the second and are running the show. Garber tries to get one step ahead of the gang.

Of course now everyone knows this film because of the supposed connection to Reservoir Dogs, in that the criminals are colour coded instead of names. However even without this cult reference this film deserves to be watched and enjoyed. The story exists on two levels. First we have the setup – it also acknowledges that it is the usual disaster movie setup….the majority of characters are listed in the credits as stereotypes instead of people (ie, `the pimp' `the junkie' etc). However this is not a weakness as the thriller story is solid enough to carry the film. It isn't all action but it's very tense and interesting. What really tops it off is the thick vein of humour that runs through it – mostly coming from Matthau.

Matthau shows how wonderful he is and how he manages to do well in so many different film styles. His world-weary act is great and his Brooklyn accent is pushed to the fore. Roberts Shaw is also good, but has less of a character and is working hard to sound English. The cast is actually deep in faces – we have an almost unrecognisable Elizondo, Woody Allen actor Tony Roberts, a fantastic Mayor from Wallace and Jerry Stiller (Ben's dad), who doesn't look much older today than he did then!

Overall this is very enjoyable, but it is made by Matthau. The thriller plot stands up well despite the lack of modern fireworks. A cult classic in the making.

With all the other plot summaries written here, I won't go into what this film is all about. I just want to say that I don't believe this genre has been done better, either before or since. I first saw "Pelham 1,2,3" when I was 14 at a drive-in theater in Northern CA. It holds a memorable place for me as the first R rated movie I ever saw, as well as the first time I ever heard the "F" word in a movie. But way beyond that, I was so completely sucked into the story even at my young age. Now all these years later, I still am. I own the movie and must see it periodically. I'm so glad, reading all the other user comments, to find that I'm just one of many who absolutely love this film. Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, and the rest of the cast are all brilliant. The comedy in the film is also outstanding and never out of place within the storyline. It simply serves to make the film more realistic. And last but not least, David Shire's score is the coolest. I only wish they had put a soundtrack out for this film. When I watch this movie, the music must be cranked.

Don't bother catching this film on TV. It's always completely hacked up. Rent it or buy the DVD. It will remind you just how much fun movies used to be.

Feels like peak New York in the '70s, brimming with mouthy character actors and all shot up with attitude. "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" buzzes right along with excellent dialogue and a tense undercurrent that's there from the beginning. Walter Matthau is perfect casting as the sardonic transit cop (kind of a sourpuss), same for Robert Shaw was the no-nonsense professional. The real surprise here for me is Hector Elizondo; while I never pictured him as aloose-cannon ex-mob guy, he makes it work.

Seek this movie out, you won't be disappointed. It's smart, engaging and features one *hell* of a final shot.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is one of those films plundered by movie magpie Quentin Tarantino, the director stealing the whole 'criminals with colours instead of names' idea for his debut Reservoir Dogs. It's easy to see why Pelham would appeal to QT: it's a gritty '70s thriller with a cool cult following, focusing on a group of violent ne'er-do-wells who carry out a daring hijack on a New York subway train. The dialogue is snappy, the cast is excellent, and David Shire's music is big, bold, brassy and badass.

Leading the hijackers is Robert Shaw, whose cold, calculating Mr. Blue is truly chilling; on the side of the law is Transit Police Lt. Zachary Garber, played by Walter Matthau, whose job it is to converse with the criminals whilst trying to figure out who they are and how they plan to make their escape. Much of the movie consists of exchanges of dialogue between the two men, but don't make the mistake of thinking this is a dull blab-fest: the tension runs high throughout, the race to deliver the ransom money against the clock being a particularly exciting highlight. And with one of the hijackers a dangerous loose cannon (Hector Elizondo's Mr. Grey, surely the inspiration for Michael Madsen's Mr. Blonde), the potential for the loss of innocent life is ever present.

A thrilling final act sees the train speeding out of control with the terrified passengers still on board, the gang having disembarked between stations. Meanwhile, Garber and his men tighten the net, and one-by-one the hijackers pay for their crime, with one death proving very shocking indeed. The fun continues right up to the final frame, an amusing ending that is nothing to be sneezed at.

Robert Shaw leads a group of stooges in the violent hijacking of a New York subway train; Walter Matthau is the acerbic transit police officer who assigns himself to the case. Nearly-perfect urban thriller adapted by the ingenious Peter Stone from John Godey's book. The atmosphere is charged with tension; one can almost taste the grit in the air and sense the palpable dread, though the film isn't quite the downer its beige-and-gray production makes it appear to be. Screenwriter Stone displays his darkly comedic sense of humor in several instances, leading to a fabulous conclusion. Curiously, some professionals critics were put off by the film, yet the suspense is sustained remarkably by director Joseph Sargent, and Matthau is priceless. *** from ****

... Thank Goodness it wasn't!

I switched on me TV last night after an evening out and the opening credits of Pelham was just finishing. Not knowing the name of this film (the Carry On listing was clearly not being shown, perhaps the Producer-dude had a revelation of taste!) I began to watch it half-heartedly, whilst prostrate on the sofa.

By the end of the movie, and that glorious last look from Matthau, I was sitting blot-upright with the biggest grin I've had on my face at 2am for a long time!

What a flick! What a film! How good was this simple, little, under-rated, under-stated movie? Very.

See this film, forgive it for being written in the 70-ties, in fact revel in that non-PC fact (the Chinese/Lady jokes are, retrospectively, quite amusing, in a non-Carry On way).

They just don't make 'um like this anymore. Simple, sweet, suspense.

I am biased a little with this film to begin with, as I live in NYC and am a big subway fan. So a gritty 70's flick that takes place in a NYC subway sounds good to me! But the truth is, this film is a great film full of extremely talented actors with a dynamite story. Shaw and Matthau are the obvious stars with everyone else putting in a good co-starring role.

The story takes place on the "6" train no less, which happens to be my fave subway line! It was a great surprise when I found the DVD for only ten bucks, I would have paid a normal price. And the quality of the DVD transfer is VERY nice. The film, though a bit brutal sometimes, even has some decent humor, even the ending is kinda funny, but perfect. I recently watched this on TV, just to compare the two versions and see where all the cuts and edits were. You can't go wrong with this film.

Subways are subways. Nothing much changed in decades. In this story a New York City subway gets stolen and the passengers are taken hostage only to be released for 1 million dollars in ransom demand. How will they get away with it?

This classic hostage flick goes back to the seventies, 1974 to be exact. Sound quality is MONO. Does everybody still even know what that means? One channel sound, when today there are 7 or more. Besides this the photography isnt grandiose either. It really has got that typical cheap early seventies feel to it, the period however Quentin Tarantino was so found of and is now going back to with his new movie. And for good reason, because in this period a lot of classics were born. And "The Taking of Pelham 123" is one of them. Although it certainly is no masterpiece, it is still a really good hostage movie with excellent acting by Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw.

You can also choose to see the modern remake of this movie with Denzel Washington and John Travolta. I watched that modern remake myself but I got bored with it within minutes. Maybe kids would love the modern version better though, but if you personally are more of a cinephile then the seventies version is the more popular one that gets the highest Imdb ratings from critics as well.

Seen it many times now and besides some cheap effects and poor sound quality it is still a movie I go back to every year or so. I just love the New York cussing and complaining in it,I love the dirty New York strreets and subway and I really dig the great seventies soundtrack, however bad it technically may sound in MONO lol...

Every time I put this one on and watch it, I feel like I'm sitting in the front seat of a bad-a** roller coaster about to go on the ride of my life. This movie grabs you by the neck and forces you down into the dirty, dank subway and onto that terror-filled car. New York City in the '70s; what joy! This movie feels gritty and almost has a semi-documentary smell to it. The acting is top-notch; Matthau's Garber and Shaw's 'Mr. Blue' play a nice little game of mental cat-and-mouse that will please even the most cynical viewer. Oh, one more thing... the theme music rocks out loud!

Walter Matthau heads a solid cast as an MTA cop who negotiates with a British gang leader played by Robert Shaw, who with his henchmen, Martin Balsam and Hector Elizondo hijack a NY City subway car and demand one million dollars to release them. The gritty atmosphere of the Big Apple's underground adds to the plot and the script is often funny with the wise ass Matthau leading the way. This movie is a perfect escape from every day life.

Sharp and fast-paced thriller that follows an easy-going N.Y.C. transit cop (Walter Matthau) who's forced to out-match the wits of four well-armed gunmen and their resilient leader (Robert Shaw) who are holding eighteen passengers on a subway train and demand one million dollars within the hour.

Made in the era of smart, stylish, and ingenius thrillers ('70s), this film didn't fail to loose my attention at all. In addition to Matthau and Shaw, the supporting cast (Hector Elizondo, Martin Balsam, Jerry Stiller, Tony Roberts, and so forth) is are just as excellent as the two unflappable leads. This well-polished crime movie is filled with exciting moments and heart-pounding suspense. Plus, there are some quirky one-liners thrown into the story as well.

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.

It takes a rough town to host a tough crime caper. New York City in its bankrupt "Ford To City: Drop Dead" period offers a compelling backdrop to the story of four desperate men who launch a scheme to make the city pay a million dollars by taking a subway car and its passengers hostage. It's a fascinating story with a lot of local color and a perfect distillation of suspense.

Funny lines, too, not clever sitcom banter but real-life wisecracks from people used to living their lives in constant tension, delivered with all the electricity of New York Post headlines.

"Never say you're sorry," a senior conductor warns a young trainee. "Someone might come out here and hit you in your damn nose."

An angry trainmaster (Dick O'Neill), when reminded about the 18 hostages, replies: "What do they expect for their lousy 35 cents, to live forever?"

When a senior transit cop named Lt. Garber (Walter Matthau) asks a colleague played by Jerry Stiller to tell some Japanese visitors about the kind of crime they have to deal with, Stiller's character replies: "We had a bomb scare in the Bronx yesterday, but it turned out to be a cantaloupe."

Matthau's role isn't the most challenging of his career, mostly he pushes a lot of buttons and talks into a microphone, but he throws up an array of great reaction shots, from his first moment of being woken from a catnap to his last, one of the most memorable of any 1970s film. I love his reaction when Stiller's Lt. Patrone character offers his theory of how the hijackers plan to get away with the loot by flying the subway to Cuba: "You're a sick man, Rico."

The real sick man in this movie is the great Robert Shaw as the lead hijacker, who goes by the alias Mr. Blue. Shaw excelled at playing functional psychopaths, not to mention dangerous train passengers, and here he keeps the suspense on a low boil throughout. He doesn't want to kill anyone, not because he's a nice guy, but because he's a perfectionist who doesn't want anything to upset his plans. This sets him at odds with his trigger-happy associate, Mr. Grey (Héctor Elizondo).

Matthau's got his own problem associate, the trainmaster who's probably feeling guilty about the subordinate he sent to visit the endangered car, and their back-and-forth makes clear this is a shaky bit of business for all concerned.

Director Joseph Sargent makes a very dynamic, functional story hum with minimal drag. Another New York director of more artistic pedigree, say Sidney Lumet, would have made a great film from this John Godey novel, but he would have paused a bit for "what-it-all-means" moments. There's none of that here, but there are still many fine touches in the execution of this movie. I suspect Lumet got the idea for shooting his Washington Post interiors in "All The President's Men" from the gritty way the Transit Authority office is shot here, with those hot florescent lights that contrast so wonderfully with the dark subway scenes.

What else to say? David Shire's masterful score will keep you on the edge of your seat whenever it starts up, and the editing by Gerald B. Greenberg and Robert Q. Lovett is up to the level of the scheming bad guys.

If you want to see a movie that celebrates the Big Apple when all goes wrong, this is a place to go.

If hearing the Lord's name vain doesn't bother you in the least, this is a good film with terrific suspense and a good foursome of male actors in Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam and Hector Elizondo. When I first saw this in the theater almost 35 years ago, I liked it a lot.

However, now that the blasphemy part bothers me, this film is a disaster, like the subway-car situation in the story. I don't know if I have heard this much verbal abuse in a 100-minute film as this one, although I can think of a few others that are close. It's too extreme and ruined the movie for me, and it's typical of films made around this time in the mid 1970s. These thrillers had a good "edge" to them but had such a sleazy atmosphere, I can't enjoy them anymore. Also, despite the premise and the trailers, this movie does not have the amount of action you expect you're going to see. Thus, people aren't offended by the language still may be disappointed that this isn't as fast-moving a story as they anticipated.