Upon first reading about the 1974 film “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three,” I was intruiged. A heist flick staring comedic genius Walter Matthau didn’t quite seem like it would work very well. Comedy forced into action movies usually comes off as dull and simply unfunny, however, nothing could be further from the truth in the case of “Pelham.”
The film centers around the life of a New York City transit cop named Garber, who is played by Matthau. It seems to be just another day at the train races for the officer until a group of men decide to hijack a subway train. The men have demands in mind, and Garber, coupled with the rest of the city, must race the clock before numerous hostages suffer dire consequences. At first glance, the plot seems clich? and overdone, yet there are many things which make this film stand apart and worth watching though.
One huge draw is the amazing comedic writing and timing throughout the film. Matthau’s dry and somber delivery of lines breathes hilarious freshness, very reminiscent of his character in the “Grumpy Old Men” series. The comedy found here is complimented well by the huge cast of well-known supporting actors. We see a fellow police officer played by Jerry Stiller, and the wife of the NYC mayor played by Doris Roberts. While some may not know these actors by name, most will recognize their once-played characters of George’s dad in “Seinfeld” and Ray’s mom in “Everybody Loves Raymond.” Along with many other well recognized actors, these two add to the well-acted comedy side of this film.
Besides resulting in nearly constant laughter throughout, the film also does an excellent job at creating suspense as a heist movie. There are numerous beat-the-clock scenarios at play here, and the film plays them out in an edge-of-your-seat, suspenseful way. And most importantly, it does this without being cheesy or unbelievable.
The film also sports a surprising amount of violence and vulgarity for a 1974 film. This is a fact that many action aficionados may enjoy, especially when one sees the homage paid to the film by many modern action directors. The gang of men running the heist for example, uses alternate names such as Mr. Blue and Mr. Green, an idea later borrowed in the widely followed and acclaimed “Reservoir Dogs.”
At 104 minutes, the film is the usual length for an action film, and longer than most comedies. Even so, the film never drags and keeps a very enthralling and entertaining pace. This is an achievement for a ’70s film, especially when compared to the quickly cut action fests that are most common today.
Speaking of, the film is currently in the process of being remade and will be released this year – most likely as one of the slew of previously mentioned, quickly cut, action fests. While the film is lined up with some major talent such as John Travolta and Denzel Washington, they’ll most likely fit into specific niche roles which are anything but out of the ordinary. “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” is an amazing film and definitely doesn’t need to be remade. Whether or not you decide to see the new version this year, any fan of action-comedies would fall deeply in love with the original.