The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
They are four ordinary, anonymous men among the clattering noise and rush of the passengers, coincidentally dressed the same in heavy overcoats and hats, each moustachioed, each carrying a cumbersome package; had they boarded together they might have warranted minor notice, but each embarks at a different station though the same subway train, its call sign Pelham One Two Three, with the same coordinated intention.
Led by “Mister Blue,” a former British military officer turned mercenary, Mister Green is key to the plan, a former “motorman” who can drive the train, while Mister Brown and former Mafia enforcer Mister Grey provide backup, seizing control and taking eighteen hostages, communicating via radio with New York City Transit Police Lieutenant Zachary Garber in the control room that unless a ransom of one million dollars is paid within an hour the killings will begin.
Based on the novel of the same name by John Godley published the year before, stated in the film to be the destination and time of departure of the train, 1:23 in the afternoon, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three was directed by Colossus: The Forbin Project’s Joseph Sargent, a tense thriller teetering on the cusp of going off the rails to become a disaster movie shot largely on a disused subway station with the cooperation of the New York City Transit Authority after much negotiation and agreed stipulations and released in late 1974.
Driven by David Shire’s funky score which seems to repeat the callsign, the onscreen negotiations are carried out by Walter Matthau as Garber, trying to maintain control of the situation and ensure the passengers under his vicarious care are kept safe and immediately realising that Robert Shaw’s lead hijacker is no pushover, cool headed, capable of carrying out his threats and fully informed of the workings of the subway, his preparations meticulous and allowing no deviation from the precise instructions he issues at every stage, inflexible on timings so no counter-operation can be put in place.
The ensemble including Psycho’s Martin Balsam and Chicago Hope’s Héctor Elizondo among the hijackers and Hairspray’s Jerry Stiller and Dune’s Kenneth McMillan trying to manage the crisis, shot almost in real time with an eye on the veracity of the situation, the impossible decisions where any thought of heroics would be irresponsible and likely end up in tragedy, there is some gallows humour in the grim and increasingly weary performances but very little in the way of levity.
Restored from the original camera negative for Arrow, their new edition of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is as packed as a subway car with two audio commentaries, an appreciation by Barry Forshaw who describes the film as “impeccably acted, impeccably directed” as he reflects on the wider careers of many of those involved, features on the locations, interviews with Elizondo, Shire, editor Gerald B Greenberg and director of photography Owen Roizman, an archive “making of,” the original trailer and a gallery.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three will be released on Blu-ray and 4K UHD by Arrow Films on Monday 9th June
