New York has got a sore head. The mayor is a schmuck and trails 22 points in the polls. Transit cop, Walter Matthau, has the unenviable chore of escorting several 'directors' of the Tokyo subway on a tour of the subway control room who, it turns out, speak perfect English and have understood his every insult. New York is feeling sorry for itself. It's the mid-1970s, and New Yorkers are compulsorily (in films of the day, at least) yelling at and insulting each other... oh, and by the way, armed men have hijacked a train. The film's strong points are its location shooting, a situation in which the audience is kept guessing how the hijackers plan to get away, and a strong finish to the action. Its weak points are its gratuitous anger and incongruous attempts at humor. Robert Shaw is the most convincing performer in a mix of name actors and little-known or second-rate performers. Matthau, in a out-of-type role, cannot help hamming it up; but rather than providing the sort of comic relief that constructively interacts with the suspense, he undercuts it. Many of the bit players also seem unsure whether they are in a spoof or a genuine thriller. A strange film that could have been much more and has not traveled well.
Review of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
