the taking of pelham one two three

Director: joseph sargent

Actor: walter matthau,robert shaw,martin balsam,hector elizondo

Data Published: Thu Nov 14 1974

Genres: Action,Crime,Thriller

Key Words: poliziottesco,north american poliziottesco,african american,new york city,reference to fiorello la guardia

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072251/

WIKI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Taking_of_Pelham_One_Two_Three_(1974_film)

Description: The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is a movie starring Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, and Martin Balsam. In New York, armed men hijack a subway car and demand a ransom for the passengers. Even if it's paid, how could they get away?

Plot: On the New York City Subway, four men armed with sub-machine guns, wearing similar disguises and using code names (Mr. Blue, Mr. Green, Mr. Grey and Mr. Brown) board a downtown (southbound) 6 train at different station stops. The men take 17 passengers (one happens to be an undercover police officer) and the conductor hostage in the first car and leave the rest of the train behind. Zachary Garber, a curmudgeonly New York Transit Authority Police lieutenant, is leading a tour of the subway command center when it is interrupted by Mr. Blue's radio announcement that "your train has been taken". Blue, the leader of the hijackers, reveals their demand for $1 million (2018 equivalent: $5 million) to be delivered within one hour or they will kill one passenger per minute after that. Garber, his co-worker, Lieutenant Rico Patrone and other transit workers cooperate while trying to guess how the criminals intend to get away. Garber deduces that one of the hijackers, knows how to operate the train and is probably a disgruntled former transit employee. Garber also notices that Blue has a British accent, while Green has a severe cold that causes him to sneeze loudly several times throughout the ordeal, to which he responds each time with a polite "Gesundheit". The supervisor at Grand Central Tower goes to confront the hijackers but is quickly shot by Mr. Grey. Conversations between the hijackers reveal that Mr. Blue was a mercenary in Africa and Mr. Green was a motorman caught in a drug bust. There is tension between Blue and Grey; Blue confides to Green that he believes Grey is "mad" and potential trouble. Hoping to sway more voters in his favor in the upcoming election, the Mayor agrees to pay the ransom but Blue insists on his one-hour deadline. After the Federal Reserve Bank of New York prepares the money, the police dispatch a squad car, but it crashes before it can reach the station. Garber bluffs to buy time, telling the hijackers that the money has already been delivered to the tunnel and just has to be walked to the train. Blue accepts this and doesn't kill any more hostages. Minutes later, a police motorcycle arrives with the ransom and it is delivered on down the tunnel on foot by two patrolmen. During the tense wait for the money, a police officer in the subway tunnel exchanges gunfire with the hijackers. In retaliation, Blue kills the conductor. With money in hand, Blue gives Garber their next orders: that electric power be restored to the subway line, that all signals in the path of the train be set to green all the way to South Ferry, and all police officers be cleared from the tunnel. Garber says it will take time to move all other trains out of the way, which Blue accepts. Before the process is complete, the hijackers move the train forward a few blocks. Blue says this is in case there are still police in the tunnel. When Garber says the signals are clear, the hijackers use a device to override the dead-man's switch so that the train will run with no one on board, then they set the train in motion and get off. As the one-car train starts to move, the undercover officer jumps off and hides in the tunnel. Unaware that the hijackers have jumped off the train, the police follow it as the hijackers try to make their escape using the tunnel's emergency exit. While disposing of their disguises and evidence that can tie them to the crime, Grey refuses to leave his gun behind, resulting in a stand-off with Blue, who shoots him dead. While Blue and Green take Grey's share of the money, the undercover officer shoots and kills Brown. Green escapes onto the street, while Blue exchanges fire with the officer until he wounds him. Garber follows the runaway train above ground in a police car with NYPD Inspector Daniels, until he realizes that the hijackers must have defeated the dead-man's switch and returns to where the train stopped. Before Blue can kill the wounded officer, Garber confronts him. Blue seemingly surrenders but upon being told that New York no longer has the death penalty, Blue commits suicide by stepping onto the third rail. As the runaway car enters the loop at South Ferry Station leading back uptown, the train's excessive speed activates the automatic safeties built into the system to stop cars travelling too fast and the car slows to a stop, leaving the remaining hostages unharmed. The three dead hijackers are identified; none was ever a transit employee. Garber concludes that the remaining hijacker must be the one. Working their way through a list of former motormen "discharged for cause", Garber and Patrone pay a visit to Harold Longman, knocking on his door just as he is reveling in his share of the ransom money. After hastily hiding the money, Longman lets them in and then bluffs his way through their questioning. As they are leaving he delays their departure by complaining indignantly about being suspected. With he and Patrone standing in the hall, Garber apologizes and then finally turns and begins to close the front door behind them. Just then, Longman sneezes, eliciting another polite "gesundheit" from Garber as the door closes. A moment later, Garber re-opens the door giving Longman an accusing stare.