Astounding. A truly smart, thrilling movie that feels imbued with such a modern blockbuster energy. The distinct personalities feel so full and bounce off each other so well I almost wish it was longer- Shaw’s detailed, uncompromising villain against Matthau’s annoyed, almost bumbling transit worker is such a good pairing, made even better with each having psychopath associates (Mr. Blue with Mr. Grey, Garber with Frank) who each threaten to derail (pun not intended but my best alternative was “hijack,” so) their respective partners’ goals. It’s wild how they manage to keep the humor afloat with such a tension-rich premise without sacrificing that tension! They let all the humor stay above ground while having the constant threat of death feel…

"Even great men have to pee."

Yes, even Walter Matthau.

The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three is a film that had the misfortune of being a thriller made in the 1970s. What this meant was that instead of getting the absolute widespread plaudits, awards and huge box office that it quite obviously deserves, it ended up bubbling under a fair amount of the massive numbers of other similar films made in the decade.

It's not the fault of the film or anyone involved - it just happens like that sometimes. There is no doubt in my mind, though, that this is not only every bit as deserving as other more iconic films from the decade such as The French…

The gritty urban landscape of 1970s New York City spanwed a great deal of notable crime films, and Taking of Pelham One Two Three definitely ranks amongst the best. Not sure how this oneevaded me for such a long time, because this quickly became an instant favourite.

The NYC transit system is already notorious for being unsafe and poorly-managed, which isn't helped when a gorup of armed men board a subway carriage and take the passengers on-board hostage. A man identifying himself as "Mr. Blue" only wants one thing and one thing only, $1 million in ramson, for which he'll begin to execute passengers if the demands are not met within one hour. As the timer counts down, transit officer…

Four men hijack a New York subway car and start asking for a million dollars to be delivered within an hour or they start killing hostages at the rate of one per minute. The transit authority and the police on the other end figure out what to do. 

(The Taking of Pelham One Two Three) is a brilliant straightforward no-nonsense heist thriller from start to finish. It's a relatively simple setup on paper but the way it's executed is quite remarkable and totally unpredictable. The action is crisp and to the point, the script is funny, the characters are quirky and the Dialogues are smartly written. Directed superbly by Joseph Sargent, the film has one of the best closing shot in…