The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (4KUHD)

I ordered this original version and the remake. BOTH were excellent story lines and actors, but the language was bad in both and did not lend to making the movies better in any way.

The subway...lifeblood of New York. The largest mass transit system in the world, currently operating over 8,000 rail and subway cars, traveling on over two thousand miles of track, serving nearly eight million passengers daily. Seems like a logistical nightmare, keeping tabs on it all, but MTA (Metro Transit Authority) does, anticipating many problems before they arise. One thing they couldn't anticipate, what no one could have, is someone hijacking one of the trains. But it did happen, once (in movie world, at least).The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), directed by Joseph Sargent (Colossus: The Forbin Project, Jaws: The Revenge), presents a wonderfully talented cast including Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, and Hector Elizondo. Also making appearances are Jerry Stiller (Seinfeld), Dick O'Neill (Gamera), Kenneth McMillian (Dune), and Doris Roberts (Everybody Loves Raymond). The film involves the hijacking of a New York subway train by a group of men armed with semi-automatic weapons for the purpose of extorting one million dollars from the city, otherwise they begin executing passengers, one by one. `What the hell they expect for their lousy 35 cents? To live forever?!"This is really an entertaining, tense and witty film that kept me interested up until the very end. Matthau really owns this film, appearing as harried yet cool-headed Lt. Zachary Garber, an officer working for the Metro Authority, and main negotiator with the hijackers, lead by the ruthless Mr. Blue, played by Robert Shaw (it's said Quentin Tarantino got the idea of using colors for the names of his characters in Reservoir Dogs (1992) from this film). Garber really has to play a juggling act, trying to keep the hostages alive, placating the hijackers, and keeping the trigger-happy cops from starting World War III down in the subway tunnels. Robert Shaw does an excellent job playing tactical minded Mr. Blue, basically Garber's counterpart, leader of the hijackers, meticulously planning the entire operation as if it were a military action (we later find out he's a British mercenary `between wars'). He must keep not only the hostages calm and in line, but also his men, especially the psychotic Mr. Gray, played by Hector Elizondo, who seems to suffer from an extremely itchy trigger finger. He's also kinda sleazy...(doesn't it seem like there's always one psychotic in the group? I guess criminals are a highly unstable bunch). As I said, Matthau owns this film, but it certainly doesn't hurt that he had so many talented and highly professional actors supporting him throughout the movie. If The Taking of Pelham One Two Three has the feel of a superior made-for-TV movie about it, that's because one look at Joseph Sargent's credits will show a vast amount of TV work, including shows like Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and a ton of made-for-TV movies. He did venture into films a few times, most notably the 70's sci-fi film Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970) and White Lighting (1973), to name a few, but always seemed to return to TV. He's also responsible for one of the worst movies ever made (in my opinion) in Jaws: The Revenge (1987), which probably put a serious hurting on any future film directing offers. As I said, Pelham does play like a TV movie (except for the brief but realistic use of profanity), but a really, really good one. Even the musical score for the film has a TV theme quality about it, but that of a top-notch theme, one that serves to enhance the overall product. The plot is tight, and moves along pretty quickly. The movie also has a real authentic flavor, especially all the smart alecky comments made throughout, the kind one would expect from New Yorkers. I loved the initial reactions to the news of the subway train being hijack, the incredulity accompanied by complete annoyance that someone would have the nerve to screw around with the New York Subway system, much less hijack it (the scene where the one of the men in charge with keeping the trains moving decides he's going to walk down the tracks and see what's going on for himself is priceless, at least until he finds out it's for real). The plot covers a lot of ground, focusing on not only the passengers and hijackers, but also the transit authority cop, the regular cops, right up to the politicians, forced to weigh the decision and consequences of paying the ransom money or not (they do, and the scenes involving the authorities racing to meet the hijacker's deadline is gripping, with slight dashes of humor...the police racing in their car, sirens blaring, Officer O'Keefe: "I always wanted to do this. Look, we're scaring the sh#t out of everybody.", Officer Miskowsky: "Yeah, including me.") The big question posed, and one that's focused on throughout is, even if the hijackers get the money, how are they going to get away with it? They're in a train, underground, surrounded by police, with no visible escape routes. Seems like a tricky proposition, but given Mr. Blue's talent for meticulously covering all the details, I'm sure he's got a plan (don't ask me, just watch the film).The quality of the wide screen non-anamorphic print on this DVD is pretty good, but not as good as I would have liked to have seen. There's a lack of sharpness in the picture, and the colors a kind of dull. The audio is also pretty good, and the dialog is clear. MGM stints on the special features, as usual, providing a theatrical trailer and an informative 4-page booklet insert. Basically what you have here is an exceptional crime film set in New York, one that rises above most others and doesn't disappoint. Oh, and that warning you always hear about not touching the third rail, as it's full of juice (electricity), and will fry you like a side of bacon? You would do well to heed it, as it's not an urban legend, my friend...Cookieman108

A classic movie about a subway train being held hostage. It's great because of the attention to detail, particularly the characters, from the Transit Authority workers, to the cops, the criminals and even the hostages themselves. It's not a particularly dark movie, there's a lot banter that helps with the realism because people talk and act like real people. It was a nice touch that not everyone on a subway in NYC spoke English. I found it particularly funny that the hostages are all named by their archetype in the credits, with names like The Hooker, The Pimp, The Hippie. The plot also unfolds in a somewhat realistic manner, with not everything the hijackers and cops do turning out as planned, mostly due to New York traffic and New York residents shooting their mouths off.

great movie night movie! absolute crowd pleaser(don’t watch the new one…)

Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Hector Elizondo, and Martin Balsam battle wits over a hijacked subway car and a million dollar ransom. A compelling old school thriller.

recall from seeing this many times on an old movie channel on tv. They cut the curse words ofc but also the mayor scenes, counting scenes, I mean a lot. Matthau is brilliant here, love Shaw and Martin Balsam, esply at the end. Great story, better than the remake, wonderful acting. Highly recommend.

Is this the ultimate New York movie? I mean the bad-old-New-York of high crime, incompetent government, Times Square hookers, drugs, litter, grime, general systems breakdown, plus that perennial Big Apple specialty, rudeness-on-steroids? It's worth noting that, not that long after Pelham 123 was released, President Ford told the city, famously, to DROP DEAD, and an explosion of dynamite at LaGuardia airport killed 11 people, and no one was ever caught or charged with a crime.Sidney Lumet be damned, I think Joseph Sargent created the greatest New York movie, with Pelham 123. And the plot, of course, is ingenious. But, for me, ATMOSPHERE is what makes this film truly immortal. The smallest bit part is perfectly cast and played. And you can almost smell the urine on the subway platform.But I always get tearful when that hurtling subway car screeches to a halt at last, and then Louise Larabbee, as the wino, finally wakes up from her smudgy oblivion, and delivers one of the greatest lines in film history: "(hic!) 42nd Street already?"The reason I get tearful is this: I think I've had a case of Stockholm Syndrome ever since I first saw Pelham 123 in 1975, when I was eleven. Not that I got emotionally attached to Mr. Black or Mr. White or Mr. Grey all of those years ago, though each of the actors playing the bad guys is terrific.No, what I fell in love with back then were those PASSENGERS. Each and every single one of the them. If I could turn Sartre's No Exit on it's head for a minute, then Hell, for me, wouldn't in the least sense be other people. On the contrary: not if it could mean spending all of eternity locked in with, say, as they are listed in the credits: The Hooker, The Old Man, The Spanish Woman, The WASP, The Pimp, The Salesman, The Maid, Coed #1, Coed # 2, etc. Like the way Stockholm Syndrome is described by survivors: an intense love for a group of people in an extreme situation.Every time I see this film, I get a man-crush on this group of passengers all over again. To the point where I even get tearful when the crisis is over, since they vanish from the film immediately after that. And a glance at IMDB confirms that most of these actors, did, in fact, vanish, though Ann Berger (The Mother), George Lee Miles (The Pimp), Alex Colon (The Delivery Boy), Mari Gorman (The Hooker), and Michael Gorrin (The Old Man), all appear to have had careers in supporting parts.And I always get a little burned up whenever I read criticism or reviews of Pelham 123. Sure, I wanna yell, Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Hector Elizondo, Jerry Stiller, they're all terrific, but what about The Hooker, The Pimp, The Old Man, The Spanish Woman, Coed #1, Coed # 2, etc.And I have probably seen this film dozens of times, but for the life of me, I can't figure this one thing out: can anyone tell me which one of the passengers is supposed to be playing The Homosexual?

Very gritty clever who done it … fun 🤩

Fantastic film. Good to see it uncut, as the last time I had seen it on TV was afternoon showing where thje violence had been cut out, making it quite strange. A good quality print was used for transfer. Fairly basic DVD. Not packed with extras, only a trailer. Great film, fabulous score by David Shire, especially the rhythmic opening theme.Wonderful cast. Robert Shaw, Walter Matthau, the delightful Martin Balsam, who is just as unlucky here as he is in The Anderson Tapes, in pulling off a heist. Many other familiar faces. Strong direction by Joseph Sargent, who was a regular director of The Man From Uncle and Star Trek, to name just a few of his works.One of the best films of the seventies and of all time.

You will be about to witness a ruthlessness that is hard to accept, yet. the lengths to which a man will go to escape justice is without end. The plot and the script writing of this film, coupled with the calibre of the casting director, the roles of the 'chosen ones' were so accomplished, it turned a typical film into a gripping, action packed chase. Cleverly directed and edited, this is one of the best thrillers I've watched. This film will prove hard to forget.

I once had this this on VHS, and bought this DVD version as a keeper I could watch over and over again.To me this old original is far better than the newer remake that i once bought by mistake.The actors in this original version are not possible to get close to when it comes to realistic performance in this plot.Robert Shaw is able to create a real scary character that makes you feel he really means bussiness with his threats.Walther Matthau brings some extra to this film, and never stops to surprise me in a positive way.His negotiations with the scary character created by Robert Shaw, makes this so real, that you sometimes forget it`s just a film.To me the rough catchy big band music is a unforgettable bonus as well, creating the right mode before it all starts rolling.First I watched this on TV, then I bought it on VHS tape, and finally I bought this on DVD, so I gùess I like it ;- )Actors like the bunch playing here, are not easy to replace, so I stick to this original version.I never understood how they could try making a modern version of this film.

I'd give five stars for the film.The problem is the DVD. It's a widescreen presentation *within* a 4:3 presentation – in other words, on a modern widescreen TV it's a tiny rectangle in a sea of black bars on every side. This is pretty baffling. On many modern machines you can zoom so that it becomes a standard widescreen with no loss of picture – just an inevitable and faintly disastrous loss of picture quality.I still enjoyed it but found myself wincing at the blurs and smears and pixel tears.

After reading several comments on customers having difficulties with this BD disc i had some misgivings about purchasing this BluRay.However I took a risk and I am very happy to report that my copy of this disc loads perfectly and looks and sounds great.I always loved this film and it never looked and sounded better, not even in the theatre,( if memory serves - it was over thirty years ago)In other words, if you looking for advice whether you should upgrade this from DVD - don't hesitate and go for it.If you are new to this film, I envy you - you are in for a treat! Happy viewing!!