The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

Rather than a classic hijack film, it is a satire overflowing with cynical pratfalls and catchphrases. It's only at the end that it starts to check the genre boxes. Fortunately, in both positions, it is more than merely satisfactory. (08/08/2010)

A fine thriller and, considering I wasn’t even on this earth when it was made, it’s still pretty modern. Of course I don’t mean in technical terms, but in the behavior of the characters. The minimal action was made up for with really good dialogs and black humor. And anyway, the whole idea of hijacking a subway train is pretty good and unusual. I’m quite looking forward to what Tony Scott does with this story in the remake he’s doing right now. I hope we aren’t robbed of the scene with Mr. Blue on the tracks at the end of the movie. (04/18/2008)

The unconventional idea regarding the means of transport hijacked by the extortionists is never fully satisfactorily explained, but otherwise, this is a very well oiled thriller machine. Very little action, but an abundance of dialogue-driven tension – I’m satisfied. (07/14/2011)

I figured this film would be uncharacteristic of Walter Matthau. And boy does he fit his role perfectly! The Taking of Pelham One Two Three delighted me with its great period atmosphere, suspenseful plot, great characters (of which, unlike Scott's remake, there aren't many, although there are more - take that as you will), dialogue and catchphrases. But it's not deserving of a full score, mainly because of the train escape, which perhaps couldn't have been all that stunning even at the time of the film's creation. Otherwise, I have no reservations. (12/18/2010)

Tarantino imitated The Taking of Pelham One Two Three not only in the way that he named the gangsters in his debut after colours, but also in the way the dynamics between his characters in Reservoir Dogs in many ways resonate with those in this film. Primarily, however, Pelham is a masterclass in building suspense and in the topography of the narrative, from which most later urban thrillers combining various elements of the security and transport infrastructure – from Runaway Train to the Die Hard franchise (and not only the three films obviously inspired by Pelham, but also the previous two instalments) – draw inspiration. Joseph Sargent very aptly anticipated that the excellent screenplay would benefit from taking the action out of the subway and into the streets. Thanks to that, Pelham isn’t about only a kidnapping, but about New York as a pulsating organism populated by superbly sketched and cast characters. Thanks to the continuous alternation of perspectives, with even the most minor character becoming the protagonist of his respective sequence at any given moment, the film remains tremendously absorbing, unpretentiously dynamic and at times both appropriately tense and likably  laid-back throughout its runtime. This is the essential difference between the original and the remake directed by Tony Scott, which is constructed as a battle of wits between the hero and villain, which in turn completely overshadows everyone and everything else. (09/09/2023)