Watch This offers movie recommendations inspired by new releases, premieres, current events, or occasionally just our own inscrutable whims. This week: With the release of Gia Coppola’s new movie, Mainstream, we’re highlighting other work from the extended Coppola family.
The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
Before the first image appears, the music starts: martial drums beneath a driving bassline punctuated by low, staccato horns. The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three’s opening credit sequence couldn’t be more basic—just white letters on a black screen (though the names are in a stencil-based font that registers as gritty)—but, then, there’s no need for visual panache just yet. That score is doing all of the necessary work. David Shire was fresh off making his first real splash as a composer with The Conversation, directed by his brother-in-law (he was married to Talia at the time), when he was tasked with setting an urgent, exciting tone for what would turn out to be the quintessential ’70s NYC thriller. He did not shirk: As the rhythm section pounds and lopes on, additional horns come in, higher and more insistent; they grow almost but not quite discordant, as if threatening to go full bebop. Only the deaf or dead could fail to feel their pulse elevate. It’s all but impossible to watch Pelham’s first 90 seconds and not think, “Oh, man, this is gonna be awesome.”
Fortunately, the movie delivers. Adapted from a best-selling novel by John Godey (the pen name of Morton Freedgood), it depicts, nearly in real time, the hijacking of a New York subway train by four identically disguised and heavily armed men (Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, and Earl Hindman) who refer to each other using color-based code names: Mr. Blue, Mr. Green, etc. (Somewhere in Los Angeles, nearly 20 years later, a video store employee named Quentin was taking notes.) As the transit cop in charge of the hostage negotiations, Walter Matthau tones down his patented sardonicism in favor of an immensely appealing rumpled professionalism—a bold move, considering that he’s constantly in danger of being upstaged by his blinding yellow necktie. The hijackers demand [Dr. Evil voice] one million dollars in cash, with Shaw’s no-nonsense leader warning that he’ll kill one hostage for each minute that the payment is late. While Gotham’s feckless mayor (Lee Wallace) eventually agrees to pay, the real question is how the hijackers plan to escape with the loot, given that they’re trapped in an underground tunnel.
To his credit, director Joseph Sargent uses Shire’s score judiciously, allowing most of the film to unfold in silence—or, rather, in New York’s standard cacophony of profane chatter and incidental street noise. Music reappears only when needed, accompanying a montage of city workers frantically counting $50 and $100 bills while trying to meet the hijackers’ insane deadline (one hour, not a minute more), reaching peak atonality when the train car, still full of hostages, speeds driverless toward an apparent high impact. Still, even when it’s absent, the muscular promise of that opening theme reverberates. (Pity poor Harry Gregson-Williams, who scored the terrible 2009 remake and struggled to come up with a late-aughts equivalent, settling on discount Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross.) Anyone who’s seen the original Pelham will never forget its unexpectedly hilarious ending, with Matthau sporting a facial expression that perhaps only he could produce. Shire’s staccato horns kick in again over the image as it slowly fades to black, and what had previously sounded intense suddenly comes across like a mordant joke. That’s versatility.
Availability: The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three is available for digital rental or purchase from Amazon, Google Play, Apple, YouTube, Redbox, AMC On Demand, and VUDU.
65 Comments
feckin great movie
God damn right. One thing I noticed last rewatch is how the subway characters don’t have names in the credits, just descriptions (The Old Man, The Spanish Woman, The Pimp, etc. — basically how you would describe them if you were riding the subway with them) but they all feel like real people with lives behind them because of their expressions and actions — they don’t need backstory to be interesting.
The drunk not waking up the whole time stretches credibility but so what.
This is an important aspect of so many great 70’s movies. “Rocky” is the same way. Also, “Dog Day Afternoon” and “The French Connection.” There’s a sense that life has been going on for a long time before we, as viewers, got there, and that there’s tons of life still going on beyond the edges of the frame. I love that kind of thing.
I love how everyone, even the hijackers are all Archie Bunker-esque out of shape working class schlubs.
They could’ve cast this movie with the Philadelphia Police Dept.
I just watched it again a month ago and I still get really engaged with it even after watching it so many times.
It’s my favorite ‘70s NYC crime drama, topping The French Connection, Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico. Great ending (atchoo!).
I saw this back when it came out. Besides Walter Mattau in his prime, the most memorable part for me was the depiction of how the subway system worked: the hidden foundations of public transportation which we just take for granted. Unstoppable and Airport did the same.
I really enjoyed the Tony Scott remake of this too.
It’s funny that the article opens with mentioning The Conversation, since Tony Scott made a pseudo-sequel to that, too.
Counterpoint: Enemy Of The State is an “unofficial” sequel. Hackman plays the same character after having gone deep underground.Sorry. First time I saw it, I kept thinking “Wasn’t there another movie Hackman made like this?” Yep, send my way. Cannot watch one without the other at this point.
Yeah, that’s why I said pseudo-sequel… He certainly didn’t have the rights to make an official one, but no one can convince me he wasn’t having Gene play the same character. And it’s awesome.
110%
Mikey D disses it but it’s not terrible, just inferior and unmemorable.
To be clear, the “gang using colors for their names” thing was done earlier in “Kansas City Confidential.”
It was done in some other movie, too. Bet you didn’t know that.
I wasn’t trying to be a prick about it or anything; I was just saying that I’d always been under the impression Tarantino was homaging Kansas City Confidential when he decided to name his characters Mr. White and whatnot. But maybe I was wrong, and it’s intended as a shoutout to Pelham. Or maybe it’s both. They’re both great movies, though. I mean, this one is objectively better in just about every way, but KC Confidential is pretty solid.
Oh I know, I was just being snarky.
I heard Tarantino came to the gimmick via City on Fire, but I don’t know where I heard that. Probably here!
“Archer” also used it in their heist episode(s).
Gesundheit.Great fucking movie.
Does Gia’s new movie star a bunch of celebrities’ kids? Because the funniest thing about her last movie was how it was Francis Ford Coppola’s granddaughter making a film starring Julia Roberts’ niece and Val Kilmer’s son… plus assistance from at least four other Coppolas in the cast and crew.Yep, just checked, it’s starring Maya Hawke. Gia sure has a type.
Casting Maya Hawke shows that Gia’s type is ‘eye-achingly beautiful women’?
It’s uncanny how much Maya Hawke looks like both her parents.
I think the same thing about OJ Simpson & Nicole Brown’s kids.
Ditto Wyatt Russell.I don’t know who Damon Wayans Jr.’s mom is but he totally got his looks from his father.
And now I’m reminded of when I started watching American Horror Story. Coven was my intro and so I become fixated on Lily Rabe. “I’ve never heard of her before, why does she look so familiar? I’ma look her up.” My gosh does she look like her mother.
It’s a wonderful movie that is strangely overlooked these days. It’s full of absolutely great faces. Not pretty faces, but interesting faces with character.
And it doesn’t do NYC any favors either. It’s gritty and dirty and nothing works right. Even the mayor is sick.
I always say that this movie and The French Connection really capture the day-to-day feel of living here. The coffee can be bad, people get pissy with each other and no one holds a grudge, crowds of people suddenly have to deal with each other in completely unique situations, boredom gives way to flashes of oddball excitement then back again, etc. It’s certainly not a Woody Allen picture.
It’s glorious…..
That’s pretty much all movies set in NYC in the 70’s
MC Matthau rockin’ the mee-zike!
At first, I thought this article was at least going to MENTION King Ad Rock’s mention of this film in “Sure Shot,” then I figured it would bring up Jerry Stiller as one of the stars of the film. A letdown both times. Although I got to listen to that awesome music. I am now filled with a desire to watch this masterpiece again.
It was a small part, but I love Jerry Stiller in this too!
Every single role in this movie, no matter how small, is perfectly cast. It’s a buffet of classic character actors, including Dick O’Neill, Rudy Bond and Doris Roberts.
They don’t do New York movies like this anymore.
Late period Denzel seems to do nothing but crap remakes of good movies
i think making those allows him to make stuff like Fences though.
And if he keeps making stuff like Fences I will support him with my dollars every chance I get.
Yeah but he also made Inside Man, which I think works great as a companion piece to this movie.
I love this movie. It’s like a who’s who of reliable character actors in supporting roles; Hector Elizondo, Jerry Stiller, Martin Balsam, Dick O’Neil, Doris Roberts, Tony Roberts, Earl Hindman and Julius Harris.
I did not know David Shire was Talia’s huzzie. Good ol’ Mike D’Angelo serving up another quality article. So who’s it gonna be to write up CQ? You know it’s coming. (If it were up to me we’d get a Marie Antoinette piece.)
With AI and machine learning being so powerful these days, is having Walter Mattheu voicing Siri too much to ask for?
One of my all time favorite movies of its type. I particularly love how Matthau is never armed and there’s no cowboy bullshit. Just a really clever transit cop using his smarts and doing detective work.
Honestly, pick just about anything with Walter Matthau in it and you’ve got a winner.
He’s really underrated.
He is the best part of the 70s’ trash Earthquake. He is listed in the credits as Walter Matuschanskayask.
Walter Matthau, Action Hero (basically this movie, Charley Varrick, and arguably Hopscotch) is one of my favorite little weird corners of Hollywood history. It could not have happened anywhere but the ‘70s.
Charlie Varrick is amazing, also influenced Tarantino (“Some guys are gonna go to work on you with a pair of pliers and a blowtorch, Maynard.”), and has maybe the best ever cinematic performance from Joe Don Baker.
Yeah, he done good in that one.
I love this movie. It has one of my favorite lines ever, when Jerry Stiller’s MTA employee character complains about the hostage situation delaying the trains, “What the hell did they expect for their lousy 35 cents, to live forever?”
Earl Hindman….Yes, that’s Tool Man’s next door neighbor Wilson.
Absolutely one of the great New York City movies. And it’s funny as hell.
When Matthau read the script, he contacted the producers and said he really wanted to star in “Pelham 123.” The producers said, “But the character is Black!” Matthau said, “Well, I’ll just play him and we won’t tell anybody I’m Black.” This may be the single greatest Walter Matthau line, and it’s not even something he said in a movie!
There’s also a great example of how you should call out people for making a racist comment. The movie opens with Matthau showing a group of Japanese guests around (they’re from Tokyo’s subway, and are checking out NYC’s subway system) and, thinking they don’t understand English, passes them off to the next person with a racial slur. To his embarrassment, one responds in perfect (and only slightly accented) English, thanking him for his time….
The Great 70s Matthau Action Trilogy is all great stuff: this, Charley Varrick and The Laughing Policeman. You could do worse than have a triple feature of those old boys!
– It’s 2:24, Lieutenant — you still have 49 minutes!
– Be reasonable, will ya? We’re trying to cooperate but you’re not giving us enough time to work with.
– 49 minutes!
– We’re dealing with City Hall, for God’s sake. You know what a mass of red tape that is.
– 49 minutes!
– Look, I know how to tell time, too, but we aren’t gonna get anywhere if all you do is repeat 49 minutes!
– 48 minutes!
– [slaps microphone away] Walked into that one…
God DAMN this is a great movie. I work in a library – a couple of months ago I checked it out, having not seen it for decades. “Gosh I wonder if it holds up”, I stupidly thought. It kicks the hell out of nearly every action movie before or since.I could be exaggerating I guess. But not by much. Pelham is also a fine reminder that, for a few glorious years, Walter Matthau was a credible action movie hero. This one, Charley Varrick, and Hopscotch. (That last one is more of a comedy I guess but still.)P.S. The remake is fine-ish. But it was silly to think that the original could be improved upon, even with Denzel in it (oh, and Travolta’s in it too, which lowered it a few notches in my opinion).
[Someone here mentioned The Laughing Policeman, another one of Matthau’s great action movies. Thanks for the reminder, I haven’t seen it in years!]
Watched this movie for the first time a few weeks ago, encouraged by The Flop House’s Elliot Kalan’s praise. Loved every second of it.
I saw this before Jaws and so it was basically my introduction to Robert Shaw. He’s riveting in this; he comes from a completely different movie, and the level of tension he maintains gives this movie its spine. Now that I think about it, the dynamic between Matthau and Shaw is similar to that in the Die Hard movies, or at least the two I ever rewatch.
Excellent Analysis. Saw 123 when it first came out and have loved it ever since. Music is appropriate and great at the same time.
This is the one with Smello-Vision, isn’t it? I’m sure it had Smello-Vision – mostly urine, burnt rubber, and ionised air iirc.
Terrific score, from its interpolation of rock elements into the jazz-suspense base to the use of electric piano for the criminals reveling in their ill-gotten gains.Damn good movie, too. So many great characters and lines (“Where is Garber?” “Even great men have to pee.”).