Official Synopsis
A gang of thugs who have hijacked a subway train near New York’s Pelham Station threaten to kill one hostage per minute. Forced to stall the assailants until a ransom is delivered or a rescue made, transit chief Lt. Garber (Matthau) must somehow ad-lib, con and outmaneuver one of the craftiest, cruelest villains (Shaw) ever. It’s a race against time, and no one knows whether things will end heroically or tragically in this pulse-pounding thrill ride!
Tony Scott did a great job with the John Travolta version, putting the usual Tony Scott flavor of shaky cam, intense/dramatic music and hardcore acting led by John Travolta and Denzel Washington. The 2009 version was truly an absolute thrill ride that left you sweating just a bit.
With that said, there’s something particularly cool and natural about the 1974 version of the film. The environment that direct Joseph Sargent creates with his New York Transit feels like it was the actual transit department in 1974. Every actor involved in the department fit perfectly in place to create this very massive New York tension-filled workplace. In other words, if you had gone down to the NYT in 1974 you could probably find these folks work and acting like there were in the movie. That’s something that the 2009 version of this film simply couldn’t create well (too much technology and way too much over-the-top acting).
So by Sargent setting up and establishing this environment for the movie to live and breathe inside of really does set the tone of the entire film. You have people screaming at each other, bitching and moaning about someone else not doing their work and just overall being a very tense New York location.
Then come the actors!
Walter Matthau plays transit chief Lt. Garber, a very relaxed individual that is struggling to make sure the hijacked subway car doesn’t get shot up over other fellow workers’ stupidity. His take on Garber is amazingly natural, as you truly believe that Matthau has been working the transit gig for some years. His dialogue and attitude flow perfectly with the character and, more importantly, with the hijack situation once it goes down. You would expect this man to be the control center for the situation and Matthau doesn’t disappoint with his performance.
Playing opposite of him is the late, great Robert Shaw playing Mr. Blue, the lead hijacker. His mere presence on a film catapults it in the ‘intense’ category. His role as the hard-nosed, unforgiving hijacker is nothing short of scary brilliance. If he doesn’t make you tense with his actions and acting then you’re not getting the message properly (or you have the volume turned down on the film). His other roles in films like The Sting and JAWS really show how far the man can go and what he can do when placed in that uncertain/crazy/mean character. He is potentially the only actor that scares the shit out of me, which is a good thing considering the movies that he is in. He doesn’t disappoint in Pelham, in fact he is the reason the film takes a vicious, intense turn once the hijacking commences. You will believe that he is willing to do what he says he is going to do. His performance outshines Travolta’s because he doesn’t have to curse, yell or physically take people down to get your attention. Shaw’s brilliance is in his deadly silence. When Mr. Blue gives a smirk to another character then you know something is about to go down. Christ, the man doesn’t even have to tell you; you just know! He is Robert Shaw, dammit and he doesn’t ask twice for your attention.
The back and forth play between Garber and Blue is fantastic. These characters were made to go head-to-head with each other, and it shows. They both make the film work and drive the film. They will be the reason why you go see this movie.
As for the story, the movie was extremely well-written. If you haven’t seen the remake (and it’s a good film, so you should eventually) then you might like this one a bit more. The dialogue and the natural flow from the actors helps to reinforce this authentic environment that Sargent and crew have set up. It’s a very balanced film that provides tension (and relief) when it needs to. The methodical structure of the taking of Pelham is structured well. You can go along with Garber and the transit police in trying to figure out how the hijackers got on, how they took the car and how they are going to escape. There’s enough suspense and thrill in the overall body to make this just an absolute blast to watch on a Friday/Saturday night. There isn’t a ‘slow’ part to the movie, especially at the end when you see how it’s all going to work out.
Brilliant and better than Tony Scott’s version.
Anyway, it’s a great film if you haven’t seen it.
Now, as for the Blu-ray, it is better than most re-releases from MGM/Fox, but it still has some issues. While the 70s weren’t too kind in terms of clothes and colors to begin with, the Blu-ray suffers from a lot of grainy moments and a significant amount of artifacts. Above ground during the police chase you’re going to find your best quality of video. Below ground in a dark, yellow, ugly environment you’re going to find some of the worst transfer. For $19.99 the film still looks good, and better than the DVD counterpart, but it certainly can’t compete with other classics that have been methodically dealt with during a clean/transfer to HD.
No features included, regretfully.