Taking of Pelham One Two Three

Product Description
An all-star cast including Oscar® winners* Walter Matthau and Martin Balsam teams up with Robert Shaw (Jaws) to deliver sure-fire entertainment [that s] gripping and exciting from beginning to end (The Hollywood Reporter). Based on the sizzling best seller by John Godey this pulse-pounding picture is guaranteed to give you the ride of your life! Somewhere underground in New York s subway system just outside the Pelham Station a gang of armed men hijack a train threatening to kill one hostage per minute unless their demands are met. Forced to stall these unknown assailants until a ransom is delivered or a rescue is made transit chief Lt. Garber (Matthau) must ad-lib bully con and shrewdly outmaneuver one of the craftiest and cruelest villains (Shaw) in a battle of wits that will either end heroically or tragically. From the minute you board this train until its exhilarating climax you will be taken by plenty of surprises and lots of nail-biting action (Blockbuster Movie Guide)!Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MYSTERY/SUSPENSE Rating: NR UPC: 027616837523 Manufacturer No: 908375

Dog Day Afternoon. Annie Hall. Taxi Driver. In the pantheon of classic New York films, these three take pride of place. But there are, of course, others, some of which have fallen through the cracks over the years, criminally overlooked and unjustly relegated to commercial-riddled Saturday-afternoon TV broadcasts. Joseph Sargent's The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is just such a picture. This taut 1974 thriller about four armed men who highjack a New York City subway train and hold it and its passengers for ransom may be hopelessly dated (it's loaded with ethnic stereotypes, impossibly wide neckties, and bad hairdos--and there are no explosions!), but that's part of the fun. A gruffly sardonic Walter Matthau heads a fine cast that includes Jerry Stiller, Hector Elizondo, Martin Balsam, and a perfectly villainous pre-Jaws Robert Shaw. Think you'll find a better film that depicts a nearly broke city led by an inept mayor forced to deal with armed terrorists? Fuhgeddaboutit! --Steve Landau

good movie to recall
this is the original movie and considering the year of the film, this is a good movie

The Original, is best
I just bought this dvd off amazon, and was glad I did. I saw the re-make in the theater when it came out, and as always, it sparked my interest in the original, that I never knew existed! A great movie, there is enough action, suspense, and mystery to entertain you throughout. The dvd was well formatted and played well. A must have for the collector of great movies like charley varrick, and other classics from the 70's. A real enertaining story.

Once Again!
Once again the original blows away the remake. I love this flick. All the over the top "Noo Yawk" accents plus a bird's eye view of Manhattan in 1974 are a plus. Walter Matthau as the smelly looking, badly dressed Lieutenant is- as usual- in form as are Robert Shaw and Martin Balsam. This is one of those flicks where familiar faces pop up and you continuously scratch your head asking the inevitable question: "Where do I know that guy?!"


No need to see the unnecessary remake. Just buy this DVD and you are set.

A New York Time Capsule
I bought this movie after seeing the advertising posters for the remake on the platform of various stations on the NYC Subway. This struck me as kind of odd, but it piqued my curiosity enough to buy the original film on DVD. As a sometimes strap-hanger, I found the story to be compelling with lots of tension. But what struck me the most was the depiction of New York in its seedy 1970's death-spiral. There are lots of outdated racial and sexist attitudes presented here as well. Others may say that this has kept the movie from aging well but to me, this rounds out the story and firmly lodges it in its setting. Instead of being dated, this movie is burnished. As the price of this particular DVD is really low, it's a great value.

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