LeonLouisRicci Very Popular, but Overrated, Crime/Heist Movie Forged out of that 1970's Grit and Post Modern Template of "Tell It Like It Is" and "Foul Mouthed" Neo-Realism. There's Nothing Fancy here. It is Bare Boned, Character Driven, and Captures by Contrast those "On the Streets" and those "Underground".It's got a Heavy Hand, especially when it comes to Loud Mouthed Ridicules of People and Places. The New York City "Style" seems to have Captured Most Viewers and Viewed Today some of the Un-PC Stuff can be "Refreshing".The Film has a Cult Following, among those Director Quentin Tarantino (a 1970's Fetishist), and Objectively it is Typical of its Era and there are quite a Number of Films from the Time that are just as Good and some that are Much Better.But Given its Due as a Good Combination of Suspense and Humor it all Works quite Magnificently and Grips from the Get-Go.Never Letting Up, and if You can Forgive the Hyperbolic, Unlikable Characters (Mayor, Cops, and Transit Authorities) who all seem to be Straining to Stand Out among the many Stereotypical New Yorkers Populating the Frame, it can be an Exciting and Entertaining Movie.

ma-cortes Crafty and tense thriller about a nasty team led by a tough attacker (Robert Shaw) and his underlings (Martin Balsam , Hector Elizondo , Earl Hindman) hijack a subway car holding 17 passengers for 1 million ransom . Then , a Transit Authority Inspector (Walter Matthaw) to be communicated with them . Among the passengers are a slice of the N.Y urban life , as the occupants represent a cross-section of the metropolis : a pimp , a Puerto Rico pregnant woman , a hooker , a mother with his small children , a Wasp , a homosexual , a hippie , an African-American , and an undercover cop . As authorities are determined to pay the money and get thing over . A fast and stylish movie with very fine pacing that keeps things on the edge of your seat . Top-notch action movie , if slightly mechanical in which some passengers are kidnapped with a juicy million dollar ransom in mind . A sincere and well-meaning screenplay , as Peter Stone's snappy script hardly needs to resort to the foul-mouthed language it sometimes uses . The movie retains a fascination and attractive the way others 70's films did . The pace of the thriller aspect is unflagging , as the roles are unerringly drawn from a masterful casting . An all-star-cast lends powerful interpretations to this fascinating movie . Over-the-range Walter Matthaw who chews up the scenery as the railway security chief and saviour of the system ; he harks back his early performance days as a tough man with a Bronx accent . And Robert Shaw is invaluable as the grim heavy as well as two-fisted thief leader . Riveting support cast is frankly excellent , such as James Broderick , Doris Roberts , Julius Harris , Kenneth McMillan , and best of the rest : Dick O'Neill , Jerry Stiller and Tony Roberts as a straight-talking deputy mayor , among others . New cinematic techniques used by the great cameraman Owen Roizman defies shadowy along the dark underground like never before . Thrilling and moving musical score by David Shire in Lalo Schifrin style .This nail-biting and heart-pounding motion picture was compellingly directed by Joseph Sargent , without a doubt one of the best movies of the seventies . Sargent directed as TV as cinema films with enjoyable results . Desperate , swift , nimble realization from Sargent who has made some of television's finest hours , it's been a monster hit in the 70s . Joseph made all kinds of genres , such as Comedy : ¨Coast to coast¨, ¨Tribes¨; Court-room drama : ¨Never forget¨ ; Sports : ¨Golden girl¨ ; Sci-Fi: ¨Colossus the forbidden Project¨ ; Biography : ¨MacArthur¨ , ¨Abraham¨, ¨Manions of America¨, ¨Mandela and Klerk¨ , ¨Arturo Sandoval story¨ , ¨WWII when lions roared¨; Terror : ¨Nightmares¨, ¨Jaws, the revenge¨ ; Drama : ¨The incident¨, ¨A lesson before dying¨ , ¨Passion Flower¨ ; Novels adaptation : ¨Dostoevsky's Crime and punishment¨ ; Western : ¨Streets of Laredo¨ , and action ¨while lightning¨ and this one .

Fletcher Conner The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is one of the greatest 70s action movies. It is tense throughout without ever resorting to the gimmicks or clichés that plague the genre. Walter Matthau is perfect for the role of the transit policeman trying to manage the situation and keep the hostages safe while solving the crime. Robert Shaw is icy as Mr. Blue, devising a near perfect crime while maintaining extreme professionalism. It is Shaw's performance that elevates Pelham to a classic as he remains calm as everyone else panics and worries and that plays beautifully off his fellow hijackers Balsam and Elizondo, and even off Matthau through the radio.While the remake is a fine movie, it is nowhere near the caliber of the original. Denzel Washington does a quality job in the Matthau role, but John Travolta cannot hold a candle to Robert Shaw's excellent performance.

Leofwine_draca THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE is another classic slice of 1970s cinema, a suspense thriller with barely a generic action scene in it, just a great and simple premise and oodles of realism. The influential storyline sees a quartet of armed men taking a subway car hostage below the streets of New York, demanding a million dollars for the lives of the frightened passengers. And it goes from there.The most notable thing about this film is the overriding realism. It was shot on real locations rather than in a studio, and it looks great, bringing with it a gritty New York vibe in much the same way as a film like SERPICO or even the B-movie monster flick C.H.U.D. Walter Matthau is perfectly cast as the hero of the piece; rather than running around with a gun, he controls things in his office for the most part. Robert Shaw and his allies are all menace as the villains, although Martin Balsam does manage to bag a sympathetic part. The rest of the film is quite flawless, a master class in tension which is never reliant on stirring music or fast editing like so many these days. It's a film which exists to remind you how they used to do things just right.