Taking of Pelham One Two Three

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

On a quiet midday in New York, along the Lexington Avenue subway line, the train designated "Pelham One Two Three" -- so named for its station of origin and time of departure -- makes its way down the East Side of Manhattan. One by one, three men board the train, and at 28th Street, a fourth man approaches the motorman (James Broderick) and points a pistol at him, ordering him to unlock the door to his cab and admit the man waiting there; meanwhile, another man points a gun at the conductor and threatens to kill him unless he holds the doors open and then closes them when the man talking to the motorman is aboard. Once on board, "Mr. Blue" (Robert Shaw) and "Mr. Green" (Martin Balsam) halt the train between stations, while "Mr. Brown" (Earl Hindeman) and "Mr. Gray" (Hector Elizondo) seal off the lead car. With Mr. Green at the controls, the front car is separated and isolated in the tunnel with 17 passengers aboard, and then Mr. Blue presents their demands over the radio: one million dollars in cash, within one hour, or they will start shooting one passenger each minute. On the other end, Transit Police Lieutenant Zachary Garber (Walter Matthau) must overcome his initial disbelief to deal with this threat, amid the confusion of a subway system that's chaotic even when it's running normally. With the mayor reluctantly aboard to pay the ransom, Garber must keep the hijackers from carrying out their threat while the money is transported, and keep the hotheads around him and on the police force under control -- and figure out how they intend to get away with a million dollars from inside a subway tunnel with police on all sides. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: PCM Mono
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: Spanish, French
• Features:
  • • Collectible booklet
    • Original theatrical trailer

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Joseph Sargent

• Producer:

  Gabriel Katzka, Edgar J. Scherick

• Screenwriter:

  Peter Stone

• Book Author:

  John Godey

• Cinematographer:

  Owen Roizman

• Composer (Music Score):

  David Shire

• Editor:

  Jerry Greenberg, Robert Q. Lovett

• Art Director:

  Gene Rudolf

• Associate Producer:

  Stephen F. Kesten

• Set Designer:

  Herb Mulligan

• Costume Designer:

  Anna Hill Johnstone

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Chris Newman

• First Assistant Director:

  Peter R. Scoppa

• Camera Operator:

  Dick Mingalone

• Casting:

  Alixe Gordin

• Extra Casting:

  Vic Ramos

REVIEW:

• Joseph Sargent's film version of the book by John Godey is an electrifying thriller sparked by great performances, unrelenting action, and the fantastic use of location shooting. Walter Matthau stars as a wrinkly transit cop negotiating a potentially deadly situation: four criminals have hijacked a New York City subway train full of hostages -- whom they plan to kill one by one if they don't receive one million dollars in one hour. Peter Stone's gritty script (nominated for the Writer's Guild Award) ratchets up the tension splendidly, revealing perfectly timed details that keep viewers firmly on their toes. The dialogue has all the saltiness and cynical humor that mark true New York City speech, and the cast doesn't miss a beat with it. Matthau is quite simply a show stealer, whether he's leading a tour group of Asian cops whom he thinks don't speak English or coolly taking control of the crisis that brings the Big Apple to a standstill. Other notables include Robert Shaw, who leaves a distinct mark as the cold-blooded lead villain, Martin Balsam as Shaw's sickly cohort, and Woody Allen regular Tony Roberts as the mayor's wry assistant. Technically, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is first-rate, with particular credit going to the film's editing and lighting. David Shire's memorable music score recalls a style used in that other '70s crime classic, Dirty Harry. The villains' use of phony color names (Mr. Green, Mr. Blue, etc.) was later used by Quentin Tarantino in his film Reservoir Dogs. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three was remade for TV in 1998, and again in 2009 for the big screen. ~ Patrick Legare, Rovi