IMDb plot summary: Four armed men hijack a New York City subway car and demand a ransom for the passengers. The city's police are faced with a conundrum: Even if it's paid, how could they get away?
Directed by Joseph Sargent. Starring Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, and Martin Balsam.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is the story of a train that is hijacked by four criminals and the law enforcement officials trying to get the hostages released. It's a pretty engaging story as thrillers go. I was particularly interested in how it showed all the many, many bureaucratic threads that intertwine to keep things up and running, and how difficult it is to keep life going when something falls apart. I do wish that in all that jumping from viewpoint to viewpoint and seeing everyone's response to the hostage-taking, that we got a little bit more of the hostages themselves at the center of this crisis. We get the smallest glimpse into their lives and it really would have turned up the human aspect of the tension if we had gotten to know them a bit better. That being said, though, it's an interesting film, if emotionally distant, and definitely worth it for fans of the genre.
How it entered my Flickchart:
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three > The Last Dragon
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three < The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three > Juno and the Paycock
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three < We're No Angels (1955)
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three < Catfish
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three < Metal Lords
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three > Ghostbusters (1984)
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three > Singles
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three > Sweet Smell of Success
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three > Ballet Shoes
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three > Ping Pong Playa
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three > Lady Bird
Final spot: #1369 out of 3810, or 64%.
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