Mr. Blue: “Give the lieutenant my regards.”
Lt. Rico Patrone: “Do it yourself, at the arraignment.”
A fun little fact to start. . . the colourful monikers utilized by Quentin Tarantino as criminal code names in his breakout feature Reservoir Dogs (1992) was done in homage to the film reviewed here today, Joseph Sargent’s crime thriller The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) – which used a similar method to keep the criminals unknown to others.
Set in the cement underground that is the New York City subway system, all cold, rugged, and dirty, it seems like any other day. . . that is, until these code named gun wielding assailants, led by accented mastermind Mr. Blue (Robert Shaw – The Sting; Jaws), the more timid, tech savvy and woke up sick this morning Mr. Green (Martin Balsam – 12 Angry Men; Psycho), the wild card that is Mr. Grey (Hector Elizondo), and the stuttering Mr. Brown (Earl Hindman – yes, the partially seen neighbour Wilson Wilson in the tv hit Home Improvement), hijack the underground train and the eighteen people on board.
With the underground being run by Lt. Garber (Walter Matthau – The Odd Couple), he finds himself in a very precarious situation. With the gang running the scheme with extreme precision and timing, their demand is one million dollars. . . if it is not delivered in just one short hour, one of the hostages will be killed every minute afterwards.
Attempting to keep some calm with those he works with, Garber has trouble with some of them, but thankfully Lt. Rico Patrone (Jerry Stiller – Seinfeld) is always willing to help him during this tense time. While trying to figure out a way to keep everyone safe, they must also run the news up to the Mayor (Lee Wallace) – who, despite being really sick with the flu, will be tasked with the million dollar demand.
One hope might come from the fact that one of those kidnapped on the subway is actually an undercover cop. . . but will that be anywhere near enough? Will Garber have any chance at outsmarting the always a few steps ahead Mr. Blue? Could issues arise from within the villainous group of criminals? Or, might this be a rare scenario where the bad guys get away with their scheme?
It is also worth noting that there is a touch of that New York City attitude woven into the characters, adding just enough sarcasm, grit, and no-nonsense moxie that the people of the Big Apple are known for – making for some extra realism within the characters. . . be it main or not (and one of the ways in which touches of dark comedy are added to the movie).
Developing a taut, claustrophobic scenario that still thrills all these years later, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, like many a train movie, uses its setting to set up an intriguing narrative. With seemingly nowhere to go (even more so than on a train film – as they are underground and have parked their subway cars between two stops), it keeps the audience guessing, while every minute ticks away. . . adding even more tension to the life or death situation. It is really no surprise that this idea was remade in 2009 by Tony Scott. A final fun note – James Bond fans will surely realize that Robert Shaw played the subtly maniacal Red Grant in From Russia with Love, but should also keep an eye out for Julius Harris as Inspector Daniels. . . for he played henchman T.Hee in Live and Let Die – it’s cool to see two former Bond villains in one movie. So, don’t sneeze at this 1970s thriller, it’s well worth a jump on the subway.