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The type of gritty, ruthless thriller that could only emerge during the '70s, Joseph Sargent's classic subway suspenser The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is a total hardboiled treat! This culturally influential production (Quentin Tarantino used the concept of colours as codenames for Reservoir Dogs) mixes tense action, cat & mouse mind-games, sly political satire and New York atmosphere, spawning a competent genre movie that never forgoes respect for the intelligence of its viewers. Screenwriter Peter Stone (basing his script on John Godey's novel of the same name) has penned a terrific gem of an action movie - it's intelligent, credible and exciting, and (best of all) it gets right down to business. When the movie opens we're thrust directly into the intense hostage-taking situation without a great deal of explication preceding it. The true genius of this riveting picture is that the characters are developed adequately as the story quickly progresses.
Pelham 123 - a New York City subway train - becomes the focal point of an audacious terrorist attack. A tense situation unfolds when four armed men step aboard this train and hijack it, taking hostage the eighteen passengers from the first carriage (plonking said carriage halfway between stations). The established leader of the group - an ex-mercenary known only as Mr. Blue (Shaw) - demands a million dollars for the release of the hostages, allowing precisely one hour for the money to be delivered...and a hostage will be shot for each minute the money is late. The Transit Authority, the NYC Police Department, as well as the Mayor and his colleagues are sent into a frenzied but coordinated action, rushing to meet the rapidly-approaching deadline...
Lieutenant Zachary Garber (Matthau) undertakes negotiations with the cold, calculating Mr. Blue.
The time is now 2:13. The money must be in our hands not later than 3:13 - one hour from now. Now, if the money is not in our hands, we'll kill one hostage for every minute you're late."
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three wastes no time at all. Rather than expending two reels detailing the heist, the film commences the instant the caper is executed. The swift, brisk pacing is the pinnacle of perfection for this genre - it never plods and never hurries too much. It engages a viewer from the very first minute, riveting through a stack of twists and lots of nail-biting tension. Furthermore, there's hardly an implausible step in the entire picture. Peter Stone's screenplay is infused with realism as well as being laden with witty, clever dialogue and a subtle sense of humour. It triggers a great deal more laughs than one would anticipate. A lot of Noo Yawkese talk is also present in the script (lots of curse words), with main star Matthau delivering lines with a heavy NYC accent.
Most action movies have an unfortunate tendency to waste time and have its length extended by filling the screen with unnecessary car chases, explosions, and general mayhem. Joseph Sargent's masterpiece contains none of this. What needs to be spoken is articulated... No flab is appended during the hasty, heart-pounding journey towards an exhilarating climax (a conclusion some will hate, but I adored). The Taking of Pelham One Two Three features honest storytelling and compelling drama fuelled by sublime acting. No gimmicky special effects, no big explosions...just a straightforward story supported by Sargent's top-notch direction and David Shire's spellbinding score, not to mention great editing and terrific cinematography.
If there is one blunder, it's that the passengers of the train are too thinly drawn and stereotypical - ranging from a mother with two bratty children to a streetwise pimp and a wise old man. They're too clichéd to be an accurate depiction of the general public, and far too one-dimensional for us to genuinely care about them. Also, inevitably, there are some technical imperfections. These slight faults, however, hardly injure this incredible exercise in thriller-making.
Walter Matthau's best caustic energies are discharged as the Transit Authority lieutenant, and the script is loaded with dialogue just right for the star's benign bad temper. No-one can play this role as perfectly as Matthau, whose comedic instincts are as delightful as his tense negotiating. The very last shot of the film (featuring the actor) is utterly precious, concluding the film on a fitting comedic tone. Robert Shaw and Martin Balsam - one endowed with calm brutality, the other glazed with obvious regret - are credible as train hijackers. Shaw (R.I.P) is particularly excellent as the cold-blooded central villain... his steely performance simultaneously fascinating and frightening. This is another in the actor's gallery of memorable antagonists, coolly flicking through the pages of a puzzle book whilst bargaining with people's lives. The core relationship of the picture - between Shaw's intimidating English killer and Matthau's wisecracking cop - is terrifically etched even though the two communicate solely via radio. The editing back and forth during their conversations is sharp, accentuating the two strong performances and adding to the suspense.
On top of this, the supporting cast is great! Lee Wallace makes a pleasing, indecisive slob of a mayor. Tom Pedi is particularly good as an outraged official who is unable to tolerate a mess in the subway. Hector Elizondo and Earl Hindman are great as members of the gang of hijackers, and Jerry Stiller has a minor role as a Transit Authority official.
Interestingly, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three reportedly did terrific box office in New York, Toronto, Paris and London (all cities with subways) but flopped in other parts of the world. This timeless action picture presents a skilful combination of hilarious black comedy, nail-biting tension, gripping drama and gritty action. On top of this, the underlying premise is a perfectly plausible event. In fact, the only element of fantasy is the implication the city's departments could function so smoothly together. Director Joseph Sargent may have helmed some turkeys in his career (Jaws: The Revenge, anybody?), but he at least was responsible for The Taking of Pelham One Two Three - this remarkable, exciting '70s crime-thriller, and one of the only action pictures in cinematic history to be endowed with a rousing plot.
The film was remade for TV in 1998, and again in 2009 (this time a theatrical summer picture, directed by Tony Scott and starring Denzel Washington).
9.1/10
