The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
Directed by: Joseph Sargent
Written by: John Godey, Peter Stone
Starring: Earl Hindman, Hector Elizondo, Jerry Stiller, Julius Harris, Lee Wallace, Martin Balsam, Nathan George, Robert Shaw, Rudy Bond, Tom Pedi, Walter Matthau
THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE (1974)
Directed by Joseph Sargent
Available on limited edition 4K UHD and Blu-Ray from Arrow Video
A Manhattan subway train leaving Pelham Station at 1.23pm is hijacked by a group of moustached criminals sharing similar outfits and pseudonyms based on colours (Mr Grey, Mr Blue, etc). After taking 18 passengers and the conductor hostage, the four armed hijackers demand a million dollars in exchange for the safety of those onboard. Transport Police Lieutenant Zachary Garber attempts to negotiate with the criminals but with just an hour on the clock before the hijackers start executing a hostage every minute, the race is on to save the innocent New York travellers and crack the hijackers’ escape plan.
Published in 1973 by John Godey and adapted into a film just a year later, THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE is a crime thriller set below the streets of New York city. Imagine just going about your day when a group of unassuming guys brandishing automatic weapons threaten to shoot you dead if you try to escape or tackle them, and promising to waste one per minute if their ransom isn’t met in time. Such a chilling concept that apparently even sent the chills up the Transit Authority that they imagined it might inspire some copycats!
Walter Matthau stars as Lieutenant Garber who’s tasked to liaise with the hijackers and attempts to buy some time so they can either meet the demands of the hijackers or stop them in their tracks. Unfortunately for Garber, who had been having a straightforward if a little unusual day prior to the hijacking, showing Japanese subway train representative around the transport police network, the hijackers, led by British hijacker Mr Blue (Robert Shaw), aren’t up for negotiation. As the clock ticks, Gerber passes on the hijackers’ demands of 1 million dollars to the city Mayor who must decide whether to cough up the extreme amount of money or risk the lives of those stuck on the Pelham 123 subway carriage.
As heist thrillers go, THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE isn’t that hardcore and, in fact, has a little bit of humour to it. But that’s not to say Mr Blue and his crew don’t mean business. They’re quick to show their disapproval when things don’t go to plan which only reaffirms how seriously Gerber, the Mayor and the authorities must treat the situation. Mr Grey, in particular, seems a bit of a loose canon whilst Mr Blue is calm and calculated in his actions. If need to, they will follow through on their threats which means Gerber needs to spring into action to ensure everything runs smoothly to avoid casualties, even if some of his colleagues are more bothered about the subway network running on time.
Though it’s not a high-octane thriller, the movie never really relents. There’s always something going on, with the action flicking from the subway carriage to the TA and police control room to the patrolman James (Nathan George) hiding under the cover of darkness in the tunnels or Inspector Daniels (Julius Harris) reporting from the subway station. The tension builds wonderfully as the timer reaches zero, wondering whether or not the hijackers demands will be met in time. Shaw’s delivery as Mr Blue is quite unnerving and even seems to unsettle Matthau’s Garber, as he leaves little doubt in his cadence that he means everything he says. The frightened hostages, comprising of men, women, an old man, and a woman and her two sons are left panic-stricken, wondering if their lives matter enough to be saved. An hispanic woman panics as she struggles to comprehend the situation, with Spanish-speaking passengers doing their best to translate and calm the woman down. It’s bad enough understanding the hijackers threats plainly enough but it must be terrifying to have limited understanding due to language barriers, with only the visuals of men wielding automatic rifles to initially go off.
As things heat up to its eventual climax, THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE does feel like it speeds up before a sudden stop, which is quite fitting given how the subway train transits. The culmination is a little weaker than the buildup, leaning more into a light caper with effortlessly comedic overtones.
As films go, THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE is a solid entry that depicts the everyday grit of 1970’s New York City thanks to its location-driven plot and how the incident impacts the city that never sleeps, whilst the two main players, Shaw and Matthau, try to outsmart each other. Its simple story of a subway train hostage situation might not reach the heights of the runaway train style scenario of Toei’s The Bullet Train, which released a year after Pelham, or indeed Runaway Train starring Jon Voight, but its charm and performances bring enough to the table to keep you locked into the story. Such was the story’s impact on cinema, that it even resulted in two remakes – a TV movie in the late 90s and a remake in 2002 starring John Travolta and Denzel Washington.
50 years later, it’s showing its age a little, mainly because society has changed so much since then. However, THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE is still a fine example of how to engage an audience, keeping the momentum and building the tension in such an efficient way that there’s never a dull moment. Accentuated by an unpredictable, animated jazz score from composer David Shire, the movie has gained a strong appreciation for very good reason.
Arrow Video have released THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE on 4K UHD and Blu-Ray with the limited edition complete with reversible sleeve art featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sam Hadley, and a collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Priscilla Page, Glenn Kenny, Mark Cunliffe and Guy Adams.
The new release also comes with a selection of special features:
Audio commentary by film historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson
Nathaniel Thompson of Mondo Digital and Steve Mitchell, a true New Yorker, dig into The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Mitchell, being someone who knows New York so well, talks about the film’s accurate portrayal of the city and New Yorkers at that time. They compare the book to the film and delve into the background of the actors and writers involved in the movie. It’s an easy, insightful listen with some fantastic details on the movie and those who helped create it.
Audio commentary by actor/filmmaker Pat Healy and film programmer/historian Jim Healy
Similar in feel to the previous commentary, the Healy brothers discuss The Taking of Pelham One Two Three with Pat revealing how he saw the film in the mid 80’s. The siblings discuss the book versus the film and the performances involved. An interesting listen.
Isolated Score Selections and Audio Interview with David Shire
Michael Felshe interviews David Shire on what is essentially an audio track to the running time of the film. It’s interesting listening to Shire, particularly learning about his first start in music with his piano teacher father, before taking classical lessons when he was a bit older. His love of jazz entered his life at high school where he became part of a jazz quartet, something he also did at Yale. He did a major in both English and Music before then writing musicals, which helped lead him into composing. An insightful listen.
The Mapping of Pelham One Two Three
Brand new “then and now” tour of the film’s locations by critic Bryan Reesman, featuring Jodi Shapiro, curator of the New York Transit Museum who shares insights about the subway scenes specifically. Reesman takes us to other locations above ground too, including the Gracie Mansion, which was used as the external of the mayor’s home, and the federal reserve bank. It’s quite sad really as the city has changed so much and the architecture and general vibe from 70’s New York, in my opinion, had more character than what we see today. It’s nice to be able to see and compare the locations from the movie though.
Central to Pelham One Two Three (19 mins 7 secs)
Brand new filmed appreciation by Barry Forshaw, author of American Noir, who clearly has a lot of love for The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. He talks about imppecably edited the movie is and goes into the performances and careers of Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw and the other stars of the movie. He admires its blend of comedy and serious drama, which writer Peter Stone mastered in the screenplay from Godey’s novel. An insightful appreciation from Forshaw. It’s also interesting how the film performed better in cities with subways on its theatrical run.
12 Minutes with Mr. Grey – Interview with actor Hector Elizondo (12 mins 2 secs)
Hector Elizondo, who stars as one of the hijackers, the unpredictable Mr Grey, in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, discusses working with his co-stars in this 2016 interview. He also describes the rough state of New York at that time – a dirty, tough and dangerous place where the subways would be filled with graffiti.
Cutting on Action – interview with editor Gerald B. Greenberg (9 mins 9 secs)
In this 2016 interview, Gerlad B. Greenberg talks about working alongside Robert Q. Lovett on editing The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, and discusses the problems with the structure and flaws with the script that they had to overcome.
The Sound of the City – Interview with composer David Shire (9 mins 7 secs)
In this 2016 interview with Pelham composer David Shire, we learn about his process when it came to creating the score, when he did in LA following a meeting in New York. He mentions how it was a unique creative process for him that he’s never had before or since. When creating the striking score, he opted for something chaotic with jazz and latin influences that would mimic New York at that time. He talks about improvising and learning from composer Paul Glass who inspired him to do a tone row for the film’s score. Shire goes into technical detail about his musical approach that musicians will likely benefit more from but you still get an understanding from his process and explanations.
Shades of Grey – Interview with actor Hector Elizondo (16 mins 29 secs)
Another interview with Hector Elizondo, this one from 2018 and more in depth when it comes to Elizondo talking about his character Mr Grey and the scenes he was involved with. A bit of an overlap with the previous interview as Elizondo repeats some elements, which is to be expected, but this interview is longer and allows him to delve more.
Above and Below – Interview with director of photography Owen Roizman (13 mins 13 secs)
In this 2018 interview with Owen Roizman, you get a real sense of how he approached the movie and worked with Joseph Sargent. Roizman delves into technical aspects which any cinematographer and film buff will enjoy, such as shooting with two cameras and settling on anamorphic and utilising flashing to see into the shadows when working in the subway. It’s fascinating to hear about the shooting process.
Taking the Ride (7 min 39 secs)
2018 featurette exploring the film’s New York City locations. This featurette is similar to The Mapping one featured earlier in this list, albeit at a different time. This one, whilst still interesting, isn’t as polished and the viewpoints are a little different though similar locations are visited.
The Making of Pelham One Two Three
Vintage production featurette from the point of view of real-life New York City transit policeman Carmine Foresta. It’s brilliant seeing 70’s New York at the time of the film being made, with Foresta getting involved with the production, from checking over the cop’s attire to crowd control of the scenes above ground during the transportation of the ransom money. He talks about his experience working on the shoot, chatting with cast and crew, and we even get to see scenes being shot.
Theatrical trailer (2 min 33 secs)
TV spot (52 secs)
Radio spots (1 min 1 secs)
Image and poster gallery (2 min 20 secs)
Slideshow of images, stills and posters from the film
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