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Introduced by film historian John Martello.In New York City, a criminal gang led by the ruthless Mr. Blue (Robert Shaw) hijacks a subway car and threatens to start shooting one passenger per minute unless they receive a million dollars in cash from the city within an hour. On the other end of the line, crusty veteran transit policeman Zachary Garber (Walter Matthau) has his hands full dealing with the mayor's office and his hotheaded fellow cops, while also trying to deliver the ransom before the deadline expires.
As films go, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is a solid entry that depicts the everyday grit of 1970’s New York City thanks to its location-driven plot and how the incident impacts the city that never sleeps, whilst the two main players, Shaw and Matthau, try to outsmart each other. Its simple story of a subway train hostage situation might not reach the heights of the runaway train style scenario of Toei’s The Bullet Train, which released a year after Pelham, or Runaway Train starring Jon Voight, but its charm and performances bring enough to the table to keep you locked into the story. Such was the story’s impact on cinema, that it even resulted in two remakes – a TV movie in the late 90s and a remake in 2002 starring John Travolta and Denzel Washington.
Fifty years later, it’s showing its age a little, mainly because society has changed so much since then. However, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is still a fine example of how to engage an audience, keeping the momentum and building the tension in such an efficient way that there’s never a dull moment. Accentuated by an unpredictable, animated jazz score from composer David Shire, the movie has gained a strong appreciation for very good reason.
Join us for the final Classic Film Class of our spring semester with a film that will grip you, amuse you, and most importantly – entertain you the way only movies can.
If you'd like tickets to all 8 classes for only $80, click the Classic Film Class pic on our website at www.capritheatre.org! Otherwise, tickets are $12 for member, and $15 for nonmember. And if you buy online - don't forget that members don't pay any service fees!
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1045 E Fairview Ave, Montgomery, AL, United States, Alabama 36106
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