The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

A remake of one of my favorite movies, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, is currently in production. I'm confident it will fall far short of the original. If you've never seen the 1974 thriller about a hijack-for-extortion scheme on a NYC subway, do yourself a favor and rent it. Why won't the new one be any good? First of all, the original was set in decaying, menacing New York of the 1970's; in other words, when it looked like a real city. Second, you'll never see another cast of character actors like this--not a pretty face in the lot. It includes Walter Matthau, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, Jerry Stiller, Doris Roberts (Raymond's mom!), and Robert Shaw as the icy "Mr. Blue." The huge ensemble is rounded out by characters who are identified only by politically-incorrect labels such as "the Hippie," "the Pimp," and "the Spanish Woman." And then there's the subway train, hurtling through the tunnel at high speed, and big 70's era police cars crashing into each other. Two thumbs up!

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three at Internet Movie Database [Link]