With the recent release of the Travolta/Washington action remake The Taking of Pelham 123, Channel 5 showed the original, which starred Walter Mathau and presumably is a completely different kettle of fish. I doubt I'll bother with the remake as I found the original imminently enjoyable, and can only assume how the new one is sexed up for the worst. The plot reminded me of the end of Speed, except it was nothing like it since the subway train that is taken by the baddies here stands stock still for most of the movie, and Walter Mathau spends most of his time in a command centre, talking to chief baddy Mr Blue (Robert Shaw) by radio. Despite the static and minimal locations, the movie is never boring, and the motive of the theives turns out to be refreshingly simple, although their means of escape remains a mystery - just how do they expect to escape from a closed-in subway tunnel? The answer when it comes is fairly obvious really, but the clever script kept me guessing.
There's a fair bit of humour peppered throughout, but the baddies are never trivialised - a number of poor souls are coldly gunned down. The humour diffuses the tension and previous welcome breaks from the claustrophobic subway car, and the chillingly calculated Mr Blue who orchestrates everything with real panache. Walter Mathau's hero is no action man, he's a wise-cracking old timer who's seen it all, and won't let these gunmen get away , but he tries to outsmart and second-guess them rather than running head long into the fray with guns blazing. The movie is a little dated in its treatment of women and blacks, but I think that this says more about the character of New York transit workers in 1974 than Hollywood, and provides for an authentic feel. This is a fantastic thriller that I seriously doubt could be bettered by any remake. Especially one starring Denzel Washington.
Oh and Walter Mathau's final look as he gets his man is priceless.
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