The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3 [1974] (DVD)

With the recent release of the Pelham remake, starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta, I thought it apt to revisit this 1970s classic, starring Walter Matthau as a train controller that's pulled into a terrorist ransom (with the lead baddie played by Robert Shaw), in which the baddies promise to execute a hostage a minute aboard a train if they're not given $1m within one hour. It's compelling drama to say the least, thanks largely to some truly outstanding performances, and an unrelenting sense of tension that permeates even during the film's brief moments of downtime. It's a diverse picture that will always keep you guessing, with constantly changing ...  Read the complete review

I suppose of all the dramatic devices used to lend tension to film thrillers over the years, the hijack is better than most. Gather together a group of innocent members of the public; wave guns around; contact someone with lots of cash at their disposal; then tell them that if the money is not handed over within a certain period of time the hostages are for it. It's perfect. The clock starts to tick and the sweat begins to bead on the foreheads of actors and audience alike. Such is the set-up in Joseph Sargent's gritty 1974 heist movie, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. The film's title refers to a New York subway train that is seized by four armed men led ...  Read the complete review

For me the best decade for films was the seventies, you had the likes of The French Connection, The Exorcist, Jaws, Taxi Driver, The Godfather and Apocolypse Now. Amongst these big hitters are little gems that aren't widely acknowledged but have a dedicated appreciation. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is one of these films. Made in 1974 and based on a novel by John Godey, it's a classic example of New York 70's films. On an afternoon in Manhattan the subway runs around town as normal, people get on, people get off and it's always busy. But on this afternoon four men hijack a subway train, the pelham 123. Their motives are simple, they have ...  Read the complete review