The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three, which I recently viewed on TV, is one of the most underrated and gripping heist thrillers I've ever seen. Four men in coats with automatic weapons, calling themselves Mr. Blue, Green, Brown and Grey (a clear inspiration for Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs) board a typical New York subway train and put into action a meticulously-planned operation to land $1 million. Meanwhile befuddled Walter Matthau, with Jerry Stiller and Dick O'Neill as his partners above ground, must negotiate with the ingenious but ruthless leader of the hijacking (Robert Shaw in a superbly chilling performance).
Not only is Pelham incredibly engrossing, it's also a charming New York movie mixing in great sterotypes (the passengers include "Mother", "Homosexual", "Hooker", "Old man", "Spanish woman", "Alcoholic", "Pimp", "Hippie" and "WASP") and a typical New Yorker attitude permeating through the whole film: note the passengers' nonchalant obliviousness to the gangsters producing weapons, a wonderful Tom Pedi as a gruff Italian-American transit officer who won't have the tracks slowed by something as trivial as a hijacking, and the great line 'Screw the goddamn passengers! What the hell did they expect for their lousy 35 cents -- to live forever?'.
A magnificent example of the heist movie, a charming and endearing New York movie and featuring a great ensemble (Hector Elizondo's Mr. Grey and Martin Balsam's Mr. Green in particular), The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three rises above its datedness and manages to consistently entertain. As perfect as it can be.
*****