The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 26, 2022

Joseph Sargent's "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" (1974) arrives on 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include archival program with Hector Elizondo; archival program with editor Gerald B. Greenberg; archival program with composer David Shire; exclusive new audio commentary by critics Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

It is the attitude that makes the crucial difference. The story is not bad but it is hardly original. The attitude of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is so loose that it makes predicting the progression of its drama quite difficult. Also, the emotional ups and downs of the main characters are all over the place, which is a sure sign that you are viewing an American film from the 1970s. The actors are doing their parts brilliantly but nothing looks or feels carefully scripted.

Joseph Sargent’s camera picks up the hijackers as they approach their target in New York City’s subway. All four -- Mr. Blue (Robert Shaw), Mr. Green (Martin Balsam), Mr. Brown (Earl Hindma), and Mr. Grey (Hector Elizondo) -- are middle-aged men and heavily armed. At the right moment, Mr. Blue, who appears to be the leader of the group, pulls out a gun and declares that he and his partners are taking over a busy subway car. The terrified passengers are then informed that so long as they do what they are told all will be well and eventually they will be allowed to return home.

In a different area of the subway, Sargent’s camera approaches the overworked and jaded Zachary Garber (Walter Matthau), a veteran transit cop, who has been tasked to show a few visitors from Japan how the large control unit of the subway operates. There are a million other things Garber would rather do, but he reluctantly gets off his chair and begins a tour of the unit with the guests. They do not seem to understand a single word that comes out of Garber’s mouth, so he uses his hands a lot to make them grasp what they are told and shown. Occasionally, he ridicules them with a witty joke, too.

When Mr. Blue contacts the control unit, demands to be paid one million dollars within an hour and warns that he would begin executing a passenger for each minute after the deadline, Garber abandons the visitors and begins negotiating with him. While doing his best to buy more time for his colleagues to figure out the best strategy to outmaneuver the hijackers, however, Garber quickly realizes that Mr. Blue is a seasoned professional who has done his homework and intends to win the dangerous game he has initiated. The only thing that puzzles Garber is how it will be done -- with every entrance blocked, exiting the subway unnoticed, with or without one million dollars in cash, is impossible.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three effectively demonstrates the main strengths of American films from the 1970s. Its attitude, which gives it its identity and makes it a very special film, is a combination of these strengths. Here are some of them:

All characterizations, major and minor, are essentially flawless. They have complete arcs and make it exceptionally easy for the viewer to accept that neither the stars nor the supporting actors are playing parts. What makes these characterizations possible is Peter Stone’s screenplay, which is allergic to filters. Unsurprisingly, the drama produces genuine fireworks, the humor feels entirely spontaneous, and together they strengthen the characterizations in numerous very effective ways. There is plenty of good action but it is not of the kind that erodes the characterizations or attempts to become the main attraction. The focus of attention remains on the hostage situation and its resolution. As the film progresses, the screenplay simply introduces new angles from which the viewer observes it.

Admittedly, only a few of these strengths would have materialized without the great cast of stars and supporting actors. But many of them, and certainly the stars, are as good as they appear because they are given top-quality original material and freedom that allow them to be. In contemporary American films, original material and the freedom to act are carefully managed and restricted.

Sargent employed the services of acclaimed cinematographer Owen Roizman, whose credits include such legendary films as The French Connection, The Exorcist, 3 Days of the Condor.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. The Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and are downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including its actual color values.

Screencaptures #1-33 are from The Taking of Pelham One Two Three Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #36-40 are from The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 4K Blu-ray.

The 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray present an exclusive new 4K restoration of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. In native 4K, I viewed the entire film with Dolby Vision.

At the moment, I have only one other Blu-ray release of this classic film in my library, which MGM/Fox produced in 2011. It is a fine release. However, it offers a dated presentation of the film and many of its limitations are quite easy to spot. I did some extensive comparisons with it, but to be honest, there is only one area of the presentation of the new 4K makeover that could have been handled better, so I am going to address it first.

In native 4K, with Dolby Vision enabled, or with HDR, and in 1080p as well, the new 4K makeover produces some extremely light crushing. It is not a lot, but very large portions of the film take place in the subway where light is restricted in various specific ways, so for all native detail to be visible as intended the color grading has to be very precise. I still think that the color grading is very good, but it is not perfect. How much detail is lost? If you take a look at screencapture #2 and compare it with the corresponding screencapture from the review of the MGM/Fox release, you will have your answer. This is a lot less than what is present for instance on the recent 4K makeover of Escape from Alcatraz, so if this issue had been addressed, you would have been looking at a definitive home video release of this classic film.

On my system, delineation, clarity, and depth are very clearly superior. Density levels are noticeably improved as well, so the bigger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to appreciate the upgrade in quality. As noted above, the original cinematography treats light/lighting in various specific ways, so some fluctuations in grain exposure are unavoidable. In native 4K and 1080p, fluidity is very good, so the sporadic minor bumps that are present on the old 1080p presentation are gone. The color grade is wonderful. (I am excluding the management of the blacks). Kino Lorber have released quite a few older films on 4K Blu-ray already and for my money this is their best all-around color grading job. Immediately after the opening credits disappeared from my screen, I knew that the primaries were set right and the supporting nuances had proper ranges, which is why the entire film had a very, very attractive and convincing period appearance. I loved it. How big is the discrepancy between the native 4K and 1080p visuals? I think that the Dolby Vision grade is very good -- not aggressive but not anemic either. It just about gets the darker areas right, too. The overall dynamic range of the visuals is clearly better and the outside footage from the streets of New York looks tremendous. In 1080p, the same areas look very good as well, but the absence of the expanded dynamic range and color values is immediately felt. I think that the 1080p presentation could have benefited from some additional encoding optimizations, too. Image stability is excellent. There are no distracting large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When Turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I chose to view the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track but occasionally switched to the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. I did not have a problem with the old lossless track from the MGM/Fox release and I think that its native strengths are retained. Also, the audio sounds very healthy, so even when the volume is turned up quite a bit the upper register remains solid. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson. The two commentators discuss in great detail the production of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, the contributions and careers of the people that made it, the film's style and tone, as well as New York's image and reputation during the 1970s.

• Commentary Two - this archival audio commentary was recorded by actor/filmmaker Pat Healy and film programmer and critic Jim Healy. The two commentators, clearly big fans of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, recall their first experiences with the film and share a lot of interesting information about John Godey's novel that inspired it, the unique presence of New York in it, the film's special blending of drama and comedy, the careers of the many people that worked on it, etc. It is a casual but very good commentary that is worth listening to in its entirety.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson. The two commentators discuss in great detail the production of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, the contributions and careers of the people that made it, the film's style and tone, as well as New York's image and reputation during the 1970s.

• Commentary Two - this archival audio commentary was recorded by actor/filmmaker Pat Healy and film programmer and critic Jim Healy. The two commentators, clearly big fans of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, recall their first experiences with the film and share a lot of interesting information about John Godey's novel that inspired it, the unique presence of New York in it, the film's special blending of drama and comedy, the careers of the many people that worked on it, etc. It is a casual but very good commentary that is worth listening to in its entirety.

• 12 Minutes with Mr. Grey - in this archival program, Hector Elizondo recalls his initial encounter with Joseph Sargent and how he earned the part of Mr. Grey, what it was like to live and work in New York City during the 1970s, the great cast he had the pleasure to interact and work with, and how he fine-tuned his character. Mr. Elizondo has some terrific observations about the crucial relationship between an actor (and his personality) and the camera. Outstanding program. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Cutting on Action - in this archival program, editor Gerald B. Greenberg admits that he does not recall how he became involved with The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, but explains that Joseph Sargent was rarely around when footage from downtown New York was shot and he began working in the cutting room. Mr. Greenberg has some very interesting comments about the comedic elements in Peter Stone's screenplay as well as a major technical "flaw" that has to be overcome without CGI. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• The Sound of the City - in this archival program, composer David Shire discusses the creative process behind the original soundtrack for The Taking of Pelham One Two Three and some very specific things he attempted to accomplish with the music themes (and effects) he wrote. Mr. Shire also quickly addresses the film's cult status. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• The Making of Pelham One Two Three - presented here is short vintage EPK for The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Included is raw footage from the shooting of the film in downtown New York. In English, not subtitled. (7 min).

• Trailer - a remastered vintage trailer for The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• TV Spot - a remastered vintage TV spot for The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Radio Spots - a couple of vintage radio spots for The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Image and Poster Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Presented with music. (3 min).

• Trailers From Hell - presented here is a vintage episode of Trailers from Hell with screenwriter Josh Olson (A History of Violence). In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you want to understand what made American films from the 1970s great book a lazy Sunday afternoon and view Joseph Sargent's The Taking of Pelham One Two Three and Tony Scott's The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. The original film first, and the remake immediately after it. The contrasts that you would observe tell the whole story, and sadly more than a decade later Scott's remake is starting to look pretty good. Kino Lorber's 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray release offers the best technical presentation of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three that I have seen to date. If some minor adjustments are implemented to ensure that new 4K makeovers retain all native detail in darker areas, these types of combo releases will instantly become definitive releases. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.