Director: Joseph Sargent
Screenplay: Peter Stone
Based on a Book by: John Godey
Starring: Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, Earl Hindman, James Broderick, Jerry Stiller, Lee Wallace, Dick O’Neill, Tom Pedi, Nathan George, Julius Harris
Country: USA
Running Time: 105 min
Year: 1974
BBFC Certificate: 15
In 1973, Morton Freedgood, under the pen name of John Godey, wrote the novel ‘The Taking of Pelham One Two Three’. This thriller was deemed popular enough to be adapted into a film only a year later, directed by Joseph Sargent, with the Oscar-winning writer Peter Stone providing the screenplay. The film was well regarded by critics and proved to be a hit with audiences too.
That love has only grown with time and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is now considered a favourite thriller among many fans of ‘70s cinema. On top of inspiring a number of filmmakers, such as Quentin Tarantino (who ‘borrowed’ the idea of the colour-coded villains), it even spawned a couple of remakes. The first was a 1998 made-for-TV effort, starring Edward James Olmos and Vincent D’Onofrio, and the second was Tony Scott’s 2009 take on the material, which starred Denzel Washington and John Travolta.
The ‘70s version remains the most beloved of the on-screen adaptations though, and now Arrow Video are giving the film the Limited Edition treatment with simultaneous 4K UHD and Blu-ray releases.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three centres on the audacious hijacking of a New York subway train. Four men, armed with submachine guns and identified by the colour codenames Mr. Blue (Robert Shaw), Mr. Green (Martin Balsam), Mr. Grey (Hector Elizondo), and Mr. Brown (Earl Hindman), take the train hostage, demanding a hefty ransom for the safe return of the passengers.
Lieutenant Garber (Walter Matthau) of the New York City Transit Authority becomes the unlikely point of contact, navigating the criminals’ demands and the bureaucratic hurdles of the city.
This simple setup paves the way for an immensely effective film, as Stone and Sargent perfectly balance tension and humour throughout. Whilst the terrorist plot is taken seriously and the fate of the train’s passengers hangs by a thread (this is a ‘70s movie, so you can’t guarantee a happy ending), there is a great deal of humour littered throughout the film. Much of this comes from the dialogue. Stone’s script is razor sharp, with endlessly quotable lines.
The film and its jokes are largely character-based. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is filled to the brim with colourful personalities, played by a raft of ‘70s character actors, that are all a pleasure to watch. Sargent is not afraid to kill a couple off though.
This large, diverse cast of wise-cracking characters also helps The Taking of Pelham One Two Three become what many describe as the quintessential New York film. It may be set largely underground or in offices, as opposed to showing countless postcard shots of famous NYC landmarks, but the film captures the personality of the city like few others. The way many of the locals react to the hijacking, for instance, is hilariously irreverent.
The film also has that wonderfully authentic vibe you get in most ‘70s Hollywood films. It was shot largely on location (other than the control room), using a special area of subway track shut off from the main lines. The French Connection cinematographer Owen Roizman was hired to shoot this, and he blends a gritty, naturalistic aesthetic with some slick movement and wide framing that takes advantage of the claustrophobic setting and subway lines and lights.
It’s a film that fires on all cylinders and is very hard to criticise, so it’s surprising that its director, Joseph Sargent, doesn’t have more cast-iron classics to his name. He did direct Colossus: The Forbin Project, which has a small cult following, but, sadly, his most well-known film is probably the widely reviled Jaws: The Revenge. Sargent did fare better on American TV though, where he had a long and successful career.
Finally, no discussion of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is complete without acknowledging its score by David Shire. I think it’s truly one of the all-time greats. Shire sees his music as a metaphor for New York in how it merges “chaos with underlying regularity”. By this, he means it uses jazz-style improvisation over a clearly defined structure in the way the city is a crowded, cultural melting pot built on a very basic grid system. The score also oozes cool, with its funky bassline, without forgetting to ramp up the tension. You’ll be humming the theme for weeks after watching the film.
All-in-all, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is entertainment of the highest order. Tense, funny, perfectly paced, with a raft of great performances and a killer score, it’s pure gold from start to finish and one of the most enjoyable films of the ‘70s.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is out on 9th June in separate 4K UHD & Blu-Ray limited edition sets, released by Arrow Video. I watched the Blu-ray and thought it looked fantastic, with lovely textures and natural colours. Some of the subway scenes are purposely dark and grimy but this is well-handled in the transition to digital. I’ve used screengrabs throughout this review to give you an idea of how it looks. You get a choice of 5.1 or original mono audio tracks. I opted for the latter and had no issues with the quality.
4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS *
• 4K restoration from the original camera negative
• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original lossless mono audio
• Optional lossless 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio remix
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Audio commentary by film historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson
• Audio commentary by actor/filmmaker Pat Healy and film programmer/historian Jim Healy
• The Mapping of Pelham One Two Three – brand new “then and now” tour of the film’s locations by critic Bryan Reesman, featuring Jodi Shapiro, curator of the New York Transit Museum
• Central to Pelham One Two Three – brand new filmed appreciation by Barry Forshaw, author of American Noir
• 12 Minutes with Mr. Grey and Shades of Grey – two interviews with actor Hector Elizondo
• Cutting on Action – 2016 interview with editor Gerald B. Greenberg
• The Sound of the City – 2016 interview with composer David Shire
• Above and Below – 2018 interview with director of photography Owen Roizman
• Taking the Ride – 2018 featurette exploring the film’s New York City locations
• The Making of Pelham One Two Three – vintage production featurette from the point of view of real-life New York City transit policeman Carmine Foresta
• Theatrical trailer
• TV spot
• Radio spots
• Image and poster gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sam Hadley
• Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Priscilla Page, Glenn Kenny, Mark Cunliffe and Guy Adams
* The Blu-ray edition offers the same extras but with a 1080p presentation, of course.
Nathaniel Thompson and Steve Mitchell provide one of the commentaries. The latter is an expert on New York locations, so talks about where the film was shot. The pair also talk about the differences between the book and the film, whilst praising many aspects of the latter.
Jim and Pat Healey provide a self-proclaimed ‘fan commentary’. They talk about the cast and crew, discussing the underrated director in particular. Also, as the track goes on, they discuss related films from the era and the terrorist and disaster movie genres. This was probably my favourite of the two tracks, but I still enjoyed both.
There’s also a wonderful, lengthy interview with David Shire, which runs over the film like a commentary. Once the interview is over, the full soundtrack plays out afterwards, which is a welcome bonus. It might have been better as a standalone extra though, or even a bonus CD, if I wanted to nitpick.
Shire also provides a 9-minute video interview. This feels a little unnecessary, given his lengthy audio interview on the disc, but it’s still a strong extra and is worthwhile for those without the time to listen to the 50-odd minute piece. In this shorter interview, Shire talks about his approach to the score.
Owen Roizman is interviewed too. It’s quite a technical track, with the DOP describing in detail how he approached the challenges of shooting in the subway.
For some reason, there are two interviews with Hector Elizondo. Both are fun pieces, with the actor reminiscing and telling enjoyable anecdotes from the time, but I’m not sure why his contribution was split in two.
Editor Gerald B. Greenberg is also interviewed. He’s honest about some of the challenges he faced making the film.
Barry Forshaw sings the praises of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three in his interview. He talks about the different contributors who helped create such a wonderful film. It offers a clear, concise analysis.
There’s also a pair of featurettes on the film’s locations. The newer ‘The Mapping of Pelham One Two Three’ piece is the slickest of these, so it is probably the best port of call if you’re interested in these types of extras. The older ‘Taking the Ride’ piece is fine, but I don’t think you desperately need to watch both.
Finally, a vintage ‘making of’ is included on the disc. This is a little corny, due to the decision to pitch it from the perspective of a real-life NYC transit policeman who helped with the production. However, it’s nice to see some first-hand behind-the-scenes material.
I didn’t get a copy of the booklet to comment on that, unfortunately.
Overall, Arrow has produced an impressively well-stocked package for one of the most enjoyable films of the 1970s. Highly recommended.
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