The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (TV 1998)

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?

Director:

Félix Enríquez Alcalá

Writers:

John Godey (novel), Peter Stone (earlier screenplay),

Stars:

Edward James Olmos, Vincent D'Onofrio, Donnie Wahlberg

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Edward James Olmos	...	Det. Anthony Piscotti
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Mr. Blue
Donnie Wahlberg	...	Mr. Grey
Richard Schiff	...	Mr. Green
Lisa Vidal	...	Babs Cardoza
Tara Rosling	...	Mr. Brown
Kenneth Welsh	...	Caz Hollowitz
Lorraine Bracco	...	Det. Ray
Ben Cook	...	Older boy on subway
Bobby Boriello	...	Younger boy on subway
Bobby O'neill	...	Homeboy on subway (as Black Katt)
Ingrid Veninger	...	Graduate student on subway
Alisa Wiegers	...	Office worker ["Shaky"]
Peter Boretski	...	Old man on subway
Stuart Clow	...	Jogger

Storyline

Four hijackers led by Vincent D'onofrio seize a subway train in the middle of a tunnel and hold 14 hostages for a $5 million ransom. Edward James Olmos and Lorraine Bracco are the officers assigned to work out the release of the passengers. However, even the murder of some passengers are met with an apparent calm by everyone involved. The murder of a subway supervisor prompts everyone to shake their heads and go on about their business.

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Plot Keywords:

subway | hostage | hijack | railway | electric railway | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 February 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Pelham 123. járat megállítása

Filming Locations:

Disused lower platform, Bay subway station, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

MGM Television, Trilogy Entertainment Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

With respect to the description in the novel of how the controller is rigged for the getaway, this version is more faithful than the original film.

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Goofs

The cars used on the Lexington Avenue Line (R-26/R-28/R-33/R-36/R62) do not have the same type of seating plan as those shown in the film.

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Connections

Remake of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

User Reviews

good, by why bother when the original was great?

Although it's been a while since I watched this, I seem to recall enjoying it more than the 4.+ rating it has here. However, I also remember thinking "why?" Aside from some minor updates (the original's $1,000,000 ransom isn't much in 1998; more racial & gender diversity among the main players; the expunging of the Mayor character entirely which served only as comic relief in the original) the movie stuck so closely to the original that I had to wonder "why?" Why remake a great thriller unless you have something new to add? (Cape Fear for instance) While this certainly wasn't a waste of my time, and was in fact an entertaining evening of television, if given the choice, just watch the original. My only guess as to why this was made as it was, is because there are people who refuse to watch anything "old" and thus would rather watch a "new" version with current actors.