The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

Directed by Joseph Sargent. Starring Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Dick O’Neill, Hector Elizondo, Jerry Stiller, Earl Hindman, Julius Harris, Lee Wallace, James Broderick, Tony Roberts, Nathan George, Rudy Bond. [R]

A quartet of armed crooks hijack a New York City subway car, demand a million-dollar ransom to be paid within one hour or they’ll start killing hostages; Shaw is the chief gunman ruthlessly calling the shots, Matthau the Transit Authority negotiator trying to prevent a bloodbath. Fast-paced, periodically riveting thriller based on Morton Freedgood’s bestseller is an economically shallow brand of amusement park caper, but considering the stereotypes at play, this can only be considered a good thing. Episodes of escalating tension and cold-blooded punctuation are leavened by an undisguised sense of humor and a heavy dollop of local color—no matter the hostile situation, everyone sports at least some level of “Noo Yawk” attitude. The revelation of the getaway particulars aren’t especially intricate or surprising, and the mayor (Wallace) is a corny sort of caricature, but it’s otherwise entertainment of the first order. Possibly features the sneeze to end all cinematic sneezes, though Woody Allen in Annie Hall makes a strong case as well. Quentin Tarantino borrowed the device of giving the criminals color-coded nicknames for his Reservoir Dogs debut; no one is saddled with the pink moniker here, though. Remade twice—once for television in 1998 and once for theatrical release in 2009.

83/100