The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

I was shocked at how well-paced The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is. But honestly, I shouldn’t be surprised - this came on the heels of The French Connection and shares that same propulsive, action-heavy energy.

It even reminded me of Die Hard with a Vengeance in terms of using the machinery of New York City and the NYPD to solve problems, which felt like a clear influence. The cinematography and filming looked like a real New York movie (spoken like a true Minnesotan). It genuinely looked like they were filming in actual subways and on real streets. I honestly don’t know how they got most of those shots in the subways and on the streets of New York.

Walter Matthau has looked old my entire life. It was genuinely shocking to see him pop up as a younger person still looking old as shit. Same goes for Jerry Stiller.

I loved the drama. The mystery of how the hijackers were going to get away kept me glued to the screen, and watching our protagonists navigate the red tape inherent in New York City government was equally fascinating.

But what I loved most about this movie is the simple fact that nobody wants to be dealing with this shit. Everyone is tired. Everyone’s already overworked and stressed, working in miserable environments - and then they have to deal with a subway hijacking on top of it. That layer of exhausted bureaucratic frustration made the whole thing so much funnier and more real.

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