The Taking of the Pelham 123 (1974)

As the title suggests this is about the 1974 version of The Taking of the Pelham 123. Despite being almost 50 years old the movie is still more than enjoyable. It stars Robert Shaw and Walter Matthau as the bad guy and the good guy respectively in the simple plot of 4 gangsters hijacking a NYC subway and holding the passengers hostage for ransom. Most of the movie takes place on the subway car and in the subway control center following how the negotiations between gangsters and the city evolve. New York has to pay 1 million dollars to be delivered within an hour or else they start shooting hostages. This race against the clock together with the threat that any attempts to rescue the hostages will be met by execution of hostages propels the movie forward. I watched this movie as a kid when we didn’t have much choice on tv. Typically we had 2 or maximum 3 movies worth mentioning at all with 1 being an actual ‘big’ movie like this one. It was a gripping view for me at the time and it stayed with me for a long time. Now, watching it again I still find it a very good movie with a good storyline and good actors. The pace is slow but it fits the hostage situation. Compared to modern day movies the visual style is a bit sedated but apart from that there is nothing outdated about it. The music is probably typical of the era but I quite enjoyed that as well.