JohnDoe
Bryn
BrentonThe Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three (1974) - Trailer Included
May 2nd 2008 00:01
The People Mover that Did
Director: Joseph Sargent
Starring: Robert Shaw, Walter Matthau, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, Lee Wallace, Jerry Stiller, Earl Hindman
“We’re going to kill one passenger a minute until New York City pays us a million dollars.” – Mr Blue
Back in 1974 this mercilessly tight cat and mouse story of a New York Subway train being hijacked was a groundbreaking and bold action thriller. Seen by many as the logical progression towards Die Hard and its slew of reworks, the recent announcement of another remake (There was also TV movie in the 90’s) starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta has not met with much joy from lovers of this original passenger train of terror.
“Oh, come on. If I've got to watch my language just because they let a few broads in, I'm going to quit. How the hell can you run a goddamn railroad without swearing?” – Caz Dolowicz
The story is economic in its contrivance; four colour coded terrorists bring the notoriously crowded NYC underground to a standstill by taking a carriage of commuter’s hostage.
“Excuse me, do you people still execute in this state?” – Mr Blue
Led by the immovable steel girder named Mr Blue (Robert Shaw) they are armed with automatic weapons and have no reservations about killing innocent people. Disgruntled rail worker Mr Green (Martin Blasam) drives the train and brings knowledge of the network. Mr Brown (Earl Hindeman) is a professional who loyally follows orders.
“Now, then, ladies and gentlemen, do you see this gun? It fires 750 rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition per minute. In other words, if all of you simultaneously were to rush me, not a single one of you would get any closer than you are right now. I do hope I've made myself understood.” – Mr Blue
The wild card of the pack is Mr Grey (Hector Elizondro) an uninhibited assassin so psychotic that the mob had to let him go, an addiction to the thrill of the kill makes him unpredictable.
In charge of saving lives and ending the siege is Lt. Zachary 'Z' Garber (Walter Matthau) an unflappable Transit cop who must out guess the crooks and neutralise the volatile situation. There is no handbook for this unprecedented event and so Garber’s intelligence and restraint goes against authorities eager to escalate the carnage….its going to be a long day.
“Be reasonable, will you? We're trying to cooperate with you but we can't do anything if you don't give us enough time to work with.” – Lt Garber
John Doe Says:
Smart and driven by a gritty realism of procedure and consequence, The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3 is riveting cinema that has never lost its impact. Suspenseful and exciting the superb performances from the cast serve to realise the heightened chaos, ironing out the few minor flaws.
Directed with deliberate velocity by Joseph Sargent the chess game premise seldom slips. Opening with the siege, echoing films like The French Connection and Dog Day Afternoon there is an inescapable authenticity of tone. The claustrophobic tunnels of a decommissioned line in Brooklyn double for the NYC subway Pelham line and is shot to harness the atmosphere of the underground.
The convincing screenplay leaves little breathing room. The theme score by David Shire is tough and dangerous, the music is sparse, tension is omnipresent and the character dialogue exchanges seem genuine with just enough theatrics to ensure the stories potential entertains and never becomes dour. There is a dark, socially critical air that laces much of the supporting players lines to comment on the “times that were a change’in”
The menacing Robert Shaw (Jaws, From Russia With Love, A Man For All Seasons) as the steel eyed ex mercenary with an air tight plan relishes the unnerving potential of the character. His silences scream disciplined rage, his cues matter of fact, always on a tight leash and never going the flamboyant route of contemporary villainy.
Walter Matthau (Charley Varrick, The Odd Couple, Fail Safe, Bigger than Life) plays against type, still amusing with some of his character moments. He is easy to believe as a haggard lawman who seldom lets his pulse quicken. The first time we seem him he is fast a sleep in his chair at work, when he awakens little excites him, so skillful is Matthau as a performer that he still exudes a frantic energy that is contained within his shell.
The rest of the roles are packed with richness and obvious talent striving to breakout. Hector Elizondo (Hill St Blues, The Fan) and veteran Martin Balsam (Psycho, Cape Fear, Catch 22) add much to proceedings.
John Doe has seen this films many times before, yet with each viewing it still holds his unwavering gaze. What could have been mindless or over the top is curtailed into classic storytelling told with cinematic realism. First time through you don’t know who will live or die, whether Matthau’s lethargic demeanour can save the passengers lives. Taking of Pelham is a nail biter that never seems to punctuate itself or worry with superfluous action, its about flanking the enemy, out thinking the other man. This is the stuff that all visceral and intelligent popcorn entertainment should aspire too.
The tough minded retro trailer for The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three
The opening credits with David Shire's now classic score
DVD Available in Australia
Starring: Robert Shaw, Walter Matthau, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, Lee Wallace, Jerry Stiller, Earl Hindman
“We’re going to kill one passenger a minute until New York City pays us a million dollars.” – Mr Blue
Back in 1974 this mercilessly tight cat and mouse story of a New York Subway train being hijacked was a groundbreaking and bold action thriller. Seen by many as the logical progression towards Die Hard and its slew of reworks, the recent announcement of another remake (There was also TV movie in the 90’s) starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta has not met with much joy from lovers of this original passenger train of terror.
“Oh, come on. If I've got to watch my language just because they let a few broads in, I'm going to quit. How the hell can you run a goddamn railroad without swearing?” – Caz Dolowicz
The story is economic in its contrivance; four colour coded terrorists bring the notoriously crowded NYC underground to a standstill by taking a carriage of commuter’s hostage.
“Excuse me, do you people still execute in this state?” – Mr Blue
Led by the immovable steel girder named Mr Blue (Robert Shaw) they are armed with automatic weapons and have no reservations about killing innocent people. Disgruntled rail worker Mr Green (Martin Blasam) drives the train and brings knowledge of the network. Mr Brown (Earl Hindeman) is a professional who loyally follows orders.
“Now, then, ladies and gentlemen, do you see this gun? It fires 750 rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition per minute. In other words, if all of you simultaneously were to rush me, not a single one of you would get any closer than you are right now. I do hope I've made myself understood.” – Mr Blue
The wild card of the pack is Mr Grey (Hector Elizondro) an uninhibited assassin so psychotic that the mob had to let him go, an addiction to the thrill of the kill makes him unpredictable.
In charge of saving lives and ending the siege is Lt. Zachary 'Z' Garber (Walter Matthau) an unflappable Transit cop who must out guess the crooks and neutralise the volatile situation. There is no handbook for this unprecedented event and so Garber’s intelligence and restraint goes against authorities eager to escalate the carnage….its going to be a long day.
“Be reasonable, will you? We're trying to cooperate with you but we can't do anything if you don't give us enough time to work with.” – Lt Garber
No ticket?
John Doe Says:
Smart and driven by a gritty realism of procedure and consequence, The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3 is riveting cinema that has never lost its impact. Suspenseful and exciting the superb performances from the cast serve to realise the heightened chaos, ironing out the few minor flaws.
Directed with deliberate velocity by Joseph Sargent the chess game premise seldom slips. Opening with the siege, echoing films like The French Connection and Dog Day Afternoon there is an inescapable authenticity of tone. The claustrophobic tunnels of a decommissioned line in Brooklyn double for the NYC subway Pelham line and is shot to harness the atmosphere of the underground.
The convincing screenplay leaves little breathing room. The theme score by David Shire is tough and dangerous, the music is sparse, tension is omnipresent and the character dialogue exchanges seem genuine with just enough theatrics to ensure the stories potential entertains and never becomes dour. There is a dark, socially critical air that laces much of the supporting players lines to comment on the “times that were a change’in”
The menacing Robert Shaw (Jaws, From Russia With Love, A Man For All Seasons) as the steel eyed ex mercenary with an air tight plan relishes the unnerving potential of the character. His silences scream disciplined rage, his cues matter of fact, always on a tight leash and never going the flamboyant route of contemporary villainy.
Walter Matthau (Charley Varrick, The Odd Couple, Fail Safe, Bigger than Life) plays against type, still amusing with some of his character moments. He is easy to believe as a haggard lawman who seldom lets his pulse quicken. The first time we seem him he is fast a sleep in his chair at work, when he awakens little excites him, so skillful is Matthau as a performer that he still exudes a frantic energy that is contained within his shell.
The rest of the roles are packed with richness and obvious talent striving to breakout. Hector Elizondo (Hill St Blues, The Fan) and veteran Martin Balsam (Psycho, Cape Fear, Catch 22) add much to proceedings.
John Doe has seen this films many times before, yet with each viewing it still holds his unwavering gaze. What could have been mindless or over the top is curtailed into classic storytelling told with cinematic realism. First time through you don’t know who will live or die, whether Matthau’s lethargic demeanour can save the passengers lives. Taking of Pelham is a nail biter that never seems to punctuate itself or worry with superfluous action, its about flanking the enemy, out thinking the other man. This is the stuff that all visceral and intelligent popcorn entertainment should aspire too.
The tough minded retro trailer for The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three
The opening credits with David Shire's now classic score
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Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
Was this the film that Tarantino culled his 'coloured' names for Reservoir Dogs? Or was it some earlier obscure foreign film? (Which I have a feeling I read somewhere)
I've actually seen the telemovie remake with Vincent D'Onofrio as well and it wasn't as bad as you might think.
I can't believe Tony Scott's remaking this - I guess the movement of the train is going to be just another excuse for making us travel sick with his jerky, jittery, always excessive camera work!!! );
Comment by James Rickard
unlucky_ fishermen.com
Angling Fish
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I think that Ringo Lam's City of Fire which has a lot of similarities to Reservoir Dogs is where the colour coding crims came from. By default City of Fire copied Pelham with the idea.There is an earlier movie that also had the same deal going, but Ive got a mental blank on the title.
The telemovie was a little pedestrian for my taste, but i do dig Vincent in just about anything except that TV crime series.
Agreed Tony Scott is the wrong man for the job, admittedly i did like True Romance and The Hunger...imagine what Ridley might do with it though.
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Happy I'm not the only one who still likes the film after all these years
I actually dig on the 70's style vibe that has been duplicated since in the films of Soderberg (Out of Sight), Joe Carnahan (Narc) and Tarantino amongst others, its a dirty atmosphere that feels more real...but I'm a bit retroactive.
It is weird seeing Jerry Stiller play it straight, but proves his versatility with ease.
Always a pleasure when you drop in.
Comment by Damo
For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics
The action is tight, the tension palpable and the humour well timed.
This to the credit of a well crafted screen play and excellent casting.
As good as anything you see today and even better than most.
Comment by Lilla
Enviro Warrior
An Extra Ordinary Life
Dream Herald
I'll watch this because I loved Dog Day Afternoon and you feel it is on par, and becuase it looks good...there have been a few good train-films that I have enjoyed, something about the mobility of the vehicle makes it riveting... (Speed always comes to mind for this category too)...
But I just wanted to say, that at first I remembered this story as one I read about the 'taking of a police station' ... and not a train, but I must be mixing up the titles?
Does that ring any bells with you?
L ...
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Sounds like your thinking about John Carpenter's "Assualt on Precinct 13", a cracking thriller that I reviewed HERE.
I'm not sure if Taking of Pelham is as accomplished as Dog Day Afternoon, but it's mood is certainly in the room.
Looking forward to reading your verdict once you've watched it.
Comment by Lilla
Enviro Warrior
An Extra Ordinary Life
Dream Herald
Oh Gosh, No, not John Carpenter, *nervous laugh* I find his stuff really spooky... the (Precinct 13) book was bad enough as it is without input from him ... my God, who can ever forget the sheer chill of JC's 'The Thing' with Kurt Russell?
*shiver*
I'd have to Psych up for it, no two ways about it, I think I'll stick to this one first.
Cheers.