Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

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

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf June 20, 2016

When people discuss the great New York City features of the 1970s, examples tend to gravitate toward classics such as “Taxi Driver” and “The French Connection.” These are movies that weren’t just set in NYC, they used NYC to convey a particular cesspool of crime and indifference -- the city becoming a siren’s song for the mentally damaged and the desperate. A vital addition to the list in 1974’s “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three,” which also weaves urban illness into its filmmaking fabric, though it generally avoids introspection to pursue thriller intentions, bringing John Godey’s successful novel to the screen. It’s a tremendously effective picture, brilliantly cast and executed, with director Joseph Sargent investing in tight storytelling that doesn’t have time to stop and consider its options. It’s a splendidly snowballing effort, using the streets and bowels of the Big Apple to perfection as it details criminal activity and law enforcement confusion. Once it gets going, it doesn’t stop, delivering a rare thrill ride during a production era where grit automatically equaled tight-jawed contemplation.

Executing a plan to hijack a subway train as way to extract a million dollars from New York City officials, Mr. Blue (Robert Shaw) leads Mr. Green (Martin Balsam), Mr. Grey (Hector Elizondo), and Mr. Brown (Earl Hindman) into action, quickly taking command of a train filled with assorted commuters. Bringing the car to a halt in the middle of the system, Mr. Blue contacts the Transit Authority with his demands, threatening to kill hostages if resistance is encountered. Eventually taking control of the situation is police lieutenant Garber (Walter Matthau), who hopes to establish a calm relationship with the criminals while trying to cook up a rescue operation. Pulling together the cash and a plan to confront Blue and his hostile men, Garber watches as the situation threatens to spiral out of control, aware that a police presence is growing above ground while the subway car sits below ground, with the armed men carrying out extensive planning to get away with a fortune.

“Pelham” doesn’t have a problem with introductions, using directorial economy to quickly round up the players in this game, identifying their temperaments and, for Garber, professional fatigue in shockingly few moves. The screenplay by Peter Stone likes to explain things on the go, sneaking in exposition, clues, and threats without underlining importance, permitting the feature a chance to creep up on the viewer. Routine is taken care of, spotlighting interplay between Blue, a cold-blooded thief, and Garber, the bored lifer jumping into action, but there’s rarely time to stop and fuss over the details, keeping the film extraordinarily lean, with ace editing by Gerald Greenberg and Robert Q. Lovett maintaining timing and preserving escalation, juggling both sides of the story with care. The dramatic efficiency of “Pelham” should be taught in classrooms, managing to isolate personality without sacrificing pace.

“Pelham” is smoothly designed, building tension as activity swirls inside the Transit Authority Command Center, watching Garber try to pacify Blue and manage a rescue operation while surrounded by bewildered, bickering co-workers (the supporting cast is sublime, including Jerry Stiller, Kenneth McMillan, Tony Roberts, Dick O’Neill, and James Broderick). However, instead of focusing solely on communication efforts between the men, the script spreads to all areas of the crime, maintaining a refreshing sense of humor as cops swarm the area, the mayor is pulled out of slumber to comment on the situation, and the money drop is arranged, necessitating a heated negotiation over time as Garber has to move a million bucks in a hurry. Sargent adds some action-oriented flavoring to “Pelham,” with a mid-movie cash shipment turned into a race through NYC, and Blue is pushed to make good on his violent threats when the police move in too close to the train. Additional pressure is supplied by the crooks, with Grey an unsavory type who enjoys menacing the helpless, and Green is cursed with a persistent cold that plays a crucial part in the story.

Matthau is magnificent as Garber, as hangdog as he gets playing a man determined to see justice served, but the real hero of the production is composer David Shire, who contributes one of the all-time top film scores with “Pelham,” bringing jazzy sensibilities and a driving beat to the picture, which carries the viewing experience in a particularly miraculous way. It’s sensational work, aided by Owen Roizman’s gritty, streetwise cinematography, which maintains a visual rhythm to the movie to compliment the aural one. While technical achievements are subtle, they’re near-perfect, finding sound and set design achievements memorable throughout, adding a lived-in quality to the effort that keeps “Pelham” humble and direct.

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

The AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Pelham" offers dark, gritty cinematography that conjures a specific image of New York City as a cold, violent metropolis. The viewing experience largely reflects original intent, keeping to a muted but purposeful color palette, which favors era-specific obsessions with browns and yellows, while cop costumes bring out a slightly more adventurous shade of blue. Locations retain their concrete splendor, and skintones are accurate. Detail pushes pretty far for complex, grainy photography, permitting inspection of subway car decoration and command center equipment. Textures are also acceptable on close-ups, taking a look at the wide assortment of faces that populate the cast. Delineation doesn't run into problems. Source encounters speckling, but no overt damage.

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

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is mercifully kind to scoring achievements, bringing out a fullness to Shire's music that sets the mood without disruption, leading with pleasing heaviness. Dialogue exchanges are sharp and loud, never missing a step as conversations layer at times, making sense of the command center chaos. Sound effects step into shrillness as violence heats up, but gunfire and squealing subways activity is tended to without distortion. Atmospherics are generally in good shape, delivering interesting group activity and streetwise bustle.

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

• Commentary features actor Pat Healy and film historian Jim Healy.

• Interview (12:01, HD) with Hector Elizondo discusses the specialness of working in New York City during its downfall in the 1970s, supplies adoration for director Joseph Sargent, shares memories of his co-stars (including Matthau, who convinced the actor to quit smoking), and explores his approach to the character.

• Interview (9:06, HD) with composer David Shire explores the jazzy influences that helped to shape the iconic score, along with his general reluctance to play into musical trends of the day, trying to generate an unusual sound for the picture.

• Interview (9:08, HD) with editor Gerald Greenberg chats up his professional position at the time of production and his role in helping the feature work its way through structural problems that required some additional shooting.

• "Trailers from Hell" (2:29, SD) discusses "Pelham" with director Josh Olson, who shares trivia and love for the movie.

• Animated Montage of Stills and Posters (2:19) provides the viewer with a look at publicity efforts.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:32, HD) is included.

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

Nothing makes one appreciate "Pelham" more than the thought of Tony Scott's ridiculous remake from 2009, which failed to retain any of the wit, suspense, and attitude of the original movie. Scott's no match for the straightforward management of tension from Sargent, who keeps tight control over the feature's extremity, sustaining a low profile as the picture works its way to a pitch-perfect conclusion. "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" may not have the regality of "The Godfather," the magic of "Star Wars," or the intensity of "Jaws," but it's truly one of the finest cinematic offerings from the 1970s, displaying wholly impressive attention to the basics of thriller cinema and the wonders of efficient characterizations.