The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

The subway...lifeblood of New York. The largest mass transit system in the world, currently operating over 8,000 rail and subway cars, traveling on over two thousand miles of track, serving nearly eight million passengers daily. Seems like a logistical nightmare, keeping tabs on it all, but MTA (Metro Transit Authority) does, anticipating many problems before they arise. One thing they couldn't anticipate, what no one could have, is someone hijacking one of the trains. But it did happen, once (in movie world, at least).The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), directed by Joseph Sargent (Colossus: The Forbin Project, Jaws: The Revenge), presents a wonderfully talented cast including Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, and Hector Elizondo. Also making appearances are Jerry Stiller (Seinfeld), Dick O'Neill (Gamera), Kenneth McMillian (Dune), and Doris Roberts (Everybody Loves Raymond). The film involves the hijacking of a New York subway train by a group of men armed with semi-automatic weapons for the purpose of extorting one million dollars from the city, otherwise they begin executing passengers, one by one. `What the hell they expect for their lousy 35 cents? To live forever?!"This is really an entertaining, tense and witty film that kept me interested up until the very end. Matthau really owns this film, appearing as harried yet cool-headed Lt. Zachary Garber, an officer working for the Metro Authority, and main negotiator with the hijackers, lead by the ruthless Mr. Blue, played by Robert Shaw (it's said Quentin Tarantino got the idea of using colors for the names of his characters in Reservoir Dogs (1992) from this film). Garber really has to play a juggling act, trying to keep the hostages alive, placating the hijackers, and keeping the trigger-happy cops from starting World War III down in the subway tunnels. Robert Shaw does an excellent job playing tactical minded Mr. Blue, basically Garber's counterpart, leader of the hijackers, meticulously planning the entire operation as if it were a military action (we later find out he's a British mercenary `between wars'). He must keep not only the hostages calm and in line, but also his men, especially the psychotic Mr. Gray, played by Hector Elizondo, who seems to suffer from an extremely itchy trigger finger. He's also kinda sleazy...(doesn't it seem like there's always one psychotic in the group? I guess criminals are a highly unstable bunch). As I said, Matthau owns this film, but it certainly doesn't hurt that he had so many talented and highly professional actors supporting him throughout the movie. If The Taking of Pelham One Two Three has the feel of a superior made-for-TV movie about it, that's because one look at Joseph Sargent's credits will show a vast amount of TV work, including shows like Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and a ton of made-for-TV movies. He did venture into films a few times, most notably the 70's sci-fi film Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970) and White Lighting (1973), to name a few, but always seemed to return to TV. He's also responsible for one of the worst movies ever made (in my opinion) in Jaws: The Revenge (1987), which probably put a serious hurting on any future film directing offers. As I said, Pelham does play like a TV movie (except for the brief but realistic use of profanity), but a really, really good one. Even the musical score for the film has a TV theme quality about it, but that of a top-notch theme, one that serves to enhance the overall product. The plot is tight, and moves along pretty quickly. The movie also has a real authentic flavor, especially all the smart alecky comments made throughout, the kind one would expect from New Yorkers. I loved the initial reactions to the news of the subway train being hijack, the incredulity accompanied by complete annoyance that someone would have the nerve to screw around with the New York Subway system, much less hijack it (the scene where the one of the men in charge with keeping the trains moving decides he's going to walk down the tracks and see what's going on for himself is priceless, at least until he finds out it's for real). The plot covers a lot of ground, focusing on not only the passengers and hijackers, but also the transit authority cop, the regular cops, right up to the politicians, forced to weigh the decision and consequences of paying the ransom money or not (they do, and the scenes involving the authorities racing to meet the hijacker's deadline is gripping, with slight dashes of humor...the police racing in their car, sirens blaring, Officer O'Keefe: "I always wanted to do this. Look, we're scaring the sh#t out of everybody.", Officer Miskowsky: "Yeah, including me.") The big question posed, and one that's focused on throughout is, even if the hijackers get the money, how are they going to get away with it? They're in a train, underground, surrounded by police, with no visible escape routes. Seems like a tricky proposition, but given Mr. Blue's talent for meticulously covering all the details, I'm sure he's got a plan (don't ask me, just watch the film).The quality of the wide screen non-anamorphic print on this DVD is pretty good, but not as good as I would have liked to have seen. There's a lack of sharpness in the picture, and the colors a kind of dull. The audio is also pretty good, and the dialog is clear. MGM stints on the special features, as usual, providing a theatrical trailer and an informative 4-page booklet insert. Basically what you have here is an exceptional crime film set in New York, one that rises above most others and doesn't disappoint. Oh, and that warning you always hear about not touching the third rail, as it's full of juice (electricity), and will fry you like a side of bacon? You would do well to heed it, as it's not an urban legend, my friend...Cookieman108

I enjoyed this movie very much

Is this the ultimate New York movie? I mean the bad-old-New-York of high crime, incompetent government, Times Square hookers, drugs, litter, grime, general systems breakdown, plus that perennial Big Apple specialty, rudeness-on-steroids? It's worth noting that, not that long after Pelham 123 was released, President Ford told the city, famously, to DROP DEAD, and an explosion of dynamite at LaGuardia airport killed 11 people, and no one was ever caught or charged with a crime.Sidney Lumet be damned, I think Joseph Sargent created the greatest New York movie, with Pelham 123. And the plot, of course, is ingenious. But, for me, ATMOSPHERE is what makes this film truly immortal. The smallest bit part is perfectly cast and played. And you can almost smell the urine on the subway platform.But I always get tearful when that hurtling subway car screeches to a halt at last, and then Louise Larabbee, as the wino, finally wakes up from her smudgy oblivion, and delivers one of the greatest lines in film history: "(hic!) 42nd Street already?"The reason I get tearful is this: I think I've had a case of Stockholm Syndrome ever since I first saw Pelham 123 in 1975, when I was eleven. Not that I got emotionally attached to Mr. Black or Mr. White or Mr. Grey all of those years ago, though each of the actors playing the bad guys is terrific.No, what I fell in love with back then were those PASSENGERS. Each and every single one of the them. If I could turn Sartre's No Exit on it's head for a minute, then Hell, for me, wouldn't in the least sense be other people. On the contrary: not if it could mean spending all of eternity locked in with, say, as they are listed in the credits: The Hooker, The Old Man, The Spanish Woman, The WASP, The Pimp, The Salesman, The Maid, Coed #1, Coed # 2, etc. Like the way Stockholm Syndrome is described by survivors: an intense love for a group of people in an extreme situation.Every time I see this film, I get a man-crush on this group of passengers all over again. To the point where I even get tearful when the crisis is over, since they vanish from the film immediately after that. And a glance at IMDB confirms that most of these actors, did, in fact, vanish, though Ann Berger (The Mother), George Lee Miles (The Pimp), Alex Colon (The Delivery Boy), Mari Gorman (The Hooker), and Michael Gorrin (The Old Man), all appear to have had careers in supporting parts.And I always get a little burned up whenever I read criticism or reviews of Pelham 123. Sure, I wanna yell, Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Hector Elizondo, Jerry Stiller, they're all terrific, but what about The Hooker, The Pimp, The Old Man, The Spanish Woman, Coed #1, Coed # 2, etc.And I have probably seen this film dozens of times, but for the life of me, I can't figure this one thing out: can anyone tell me which one of the passengers is supposed to be playing The Homosexual?

Excellent movie not to be missed gritty, a perfect postcard of 70s New York. Great characters great actors not to be missed.

The film quality was a bit grainy naturally because it was made in the 1970s. The plot was just ok. The characters used many strings of graphic expletives, which was probably a big selling point back in 1974. I thought the ending was lame. It was hurried and ill-considered, in my opinion. For a period movie I would give it an 8, perhaps. But compared to more modern movies, I would only give it a 5. It doesn't suck.

If you haven't already seen this film, buy it--one of the great, gritty films of the 1970s! I sincerely wish that AMAZON.CA would carry the entire Kino Lorber Classics catalog in Canada, which would save me ordering from the unreliable amateurs at unobstructed view.

One of the best action, heist thrillers of the early 70's, and far superior to the 2009 remake with John Travolta & Denzel Washington.The picture quality on the Kino Lorber UHD 4k is outstanding.Note: like all Kino Lorber blu-rays, the blu-ray that is included is Region A locked.

Excellent divertissement mêlant humour et suspense.Bien supérieur au remake avec Travolta.Avec aussi une des meilleurs fins de l'histoire du cinéma.

A REGULAR CRIME DRAMA. BUT THE DIFFERENCE IS IN THE ENDING OF THE FILM WHICH, IN MY OPINION, VERY WELL CONCEIVED, PERFORMED AND PRESENTED. I CALL THIS AN ABSTRACT ENDING SINCE THE FILM'S ENDING DOES NOT CONCLUDE THE STORY.THIS IS SIMILAR TO THE ENDING OF THE FILM " THE ITALIAN JOB " STARRING MICHEAL CAIN.STILL A LOVABLE FILM TO WATCH.HEMANT TATTU

ビデオ、LD、DVDと、発売された本作はすべて所持しておりますが、ブルーレイ作品は待ち望んでおりました。そして見つけた輸入版！　日本語字幕などなくてもいっこうにかまいませんが、やはり画質が……。これじゃわざわざブルーレイで発売する意味ないじゃん、て思うくらい画質が普通。っていうか、ほとんどDVDレベル。元々撮影がトーン、明るさ、色調を落とした作品ですから無理もない、と思いつつ、ブルーレイならではの新たなリアリティを期待したのが間違いでした。まあ、安かったからいいけど……。評価はシビアにさせていただきました。