The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) United Artists/Action-Thriller RT: 124 minutes Rated R (language, violence) Director: Joseph Sargent Screenplay: Peter Stone Music: David Shire Cinematography: Owen Roizman Release date: October 4, 1974 (US) Cast: Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, Earl Hindman, James Broderick, Jerry Stiller, Dick O’Neill, Lee Wallace, Tom Pedi, Beatrice Winde, Tony Roberts, Rudy Bond, Kenneth McMillan, Doris Roberts, Nathan George, Julius Harris, Cynthia Belgrave, Anna Berger, Gary Bolling, Carol Cole, Alex Colon, Joe Fields, Mari Gorman, Michael Gorrin, Thomas La Fleur, Maria Landa, Louise Larabee, George Lee Miles, Carolyn Nelson, Eric O’Hanian, Lucy Saroyan, William Snickowski, Barry Snyder. Box Office: N/A
Rating: ****
New York in the 70s; there’s no place like it on film. It’s the only place you can see it now. The seedy, crime-ridden hellhole it once was is now a largely gentrified metropolis where Starbucks and Disney Stores have replaced the adult book shops and grindhouse theaters. Look no further than Times Square, once home to a plethora of pushers, perverts, pimps and prostitutes. Now you can take a selfie with Elmo or a Marvel superhero (for a small fee, of course). Is this what they call socioeconomic progress?
One thing New Yorkers feared above all was the subway. Sure, millions of commuters packed the graffiti-covered cars each day knowing full well they did so at their own risk. By all accounts, it was a mobile insane asylum. Many dangers existed underground, but who would ever expect a hijacking? That’s the premise of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, a wonderfully gritty crime thriller about four armed men taking control of the titular subway. It might interest you to know that it’s one of the movies Quentin Tarantino borrowed from for his debut film Reservoir Dogs. Read on.
It’s a typical day on the NYC transit system…. until it’s not. Four criminals take over a subway car with 17 passengers and one conductor on it. They go by aliases: “Mr. Blue” (Shaw, The Sting), “Mr. Green” (Balsam, Death Wish 3), “Mr. Grey” (Elizondo, Pretty Woman) and “Mr. Brown” (Hindman, Tim Allen’s neighbor Wilson on Home Improvement). Now you know where QT got the idea. They want $1 million in exchange for the hostages. Mr. Blue gives the authorities one hour to deliver the money or else he’ll kill one hostage for every minute it’s late. Playing the role of negotiator is Lt. Zachary Garber (Matthau, The Laughing Policeman), a gruff, cynical transit cop who just wants to keep the passenger body count to a minimum.
The robbers aren’t your average street scum. Blue is a former British military officer turned mercenary. Green is a former motorman who got fired for drug-related reasons. Grey got kicked out of the Mafia for being too violent. Brown is a stone cold killer. These are dangerous people which ratchets up the tension considerably, especially when combined with the time factor. Minutes tick away as the city mayor (Wallace, The Hot Rock) debates whether he should pay the ransom or not. While he consults with his closest advisors, Garber tries to negotiate with Blue for more time to no avail.
I first saw The Taking of Pelham One Two Three in December ’96. I don’t recall where I first heard of it (it might have been my dad), but I knew it would be something worth watching. I rented it from one of the local video stores with high hopes. I didn’t yet know about the Tarantino connection, but it had a great cast and a cool plot. I know that doesn’t always guarantee a great movie; like books, you can’t judge a film by its VHS cover. In this case however, the film delivered. I enjoyed it immensely. It was interesting seeing Matthau in a non-comedic role. I was used to seeing him in funny movies like The Odd Couple, The Bad News Bears, The Couch Trip and Grumpy Old Men. I never saw him in an action-oriented film until I saw The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. He gives a solid performance as the hero of the piece. He’s not a Dirty Harry kind of cop. He’s more of a world-weary type who knows how to talk a good game. Shaw, on the other hand, exudes quiet danger as the head bad guy. He doesn’t need to raise his voice and act all bat-crap crazy. You know by his calm demeanor that he’s probably the most dangerous one of the foursome.
One of the things I like best about The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is how it develops its supporting characters and allows them their own personalities. It’s only fitting Balsam’s character is developed as he’s the wronged guy with a grudge. He can drive the train, but he knows other things too. You could call him the inside man. Elizondo’s character, a violent whack job, gets ample development while we learn nothing about the fourth accomplice. He doesn’t require any. He’s the wild card. He could snap at any moment. Along the same lines, we get a varied assortment of passengers, one of whom is an undercover cop. There’s also a hooker, a couple of coeds, an old man, a Hispanic woman who doesn’t speak English, a passed-out drunk, a pimp and a mother with two young sons. In this respect, it’s like a disaster movie.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is directed by the late Joseph Sargent whose feature-film directing career came to a halt with the horrible 1987 sequel Jaws: The Revenge (“This time it’s personal”). He made other movies- e.g. White Lightning, MacArthur, Coast to Coast and Nightmares- but The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is his best work. It’s gritty, tense and steeped in as much realism allowed by the premise. You get a sense of the inner workings of the transit system with scenes of guys yelling, swearing and rushing around angrily in the control room. Outside and on the platforms, police are trying to maintain a semblance of order as New Yorkers shout and complain. There’s this one thrilling scene of a police car trying to get the money to the bad guys before time runs out only to be stopped by a crash. Since there was no CGI in 1974, it was done with real stunt people and looks really cool.
There are a lot of great actors in smaller roles in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Look for James Broderick (Family), Jerry Stiller (Seinfeld), Dick O’Neill (Wolfen), Tony Roberts (Serpico), Kenneth McMillan (The Pope of Greenwich Village), Julius Harris (Live and Let Die) and Doris Roberts (Everybody Loves Raymond). The score by David Shire is jazzy and totally groovy. The cinematography by Owen Roizman shows New York and the subway system circa ’74 in all its grimy, gritty glory minus the graffiti as the NYC Transit Authority wouldn’t allow the makers to show any as it would make them look bad. Yeah, like they needed any help with that.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three even has a sense of humor with some of the remarks made while the situation unfolds and an unforgettable final shot. This is one of my favorite crime thrillers of the 70s. Hell, I would even say it’s one of the best movies of the 70s. It’s right up there with The French Connection and The Seven-Ups. I never get tired of watching it. It’s pure 70s greatness!
