THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE (1974)

The only film I would give a 100% rating to is an unimpeachable masterpiece such as ‘Vertigo’. This film gets a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which points to a fundamental flaw with their algorithm.  A film like this getting 100% merely means that it does what it says on the tin sufficiently well to garner universal favourable reviews.

And yes it does do what it says on the tin i.e. it is an entertaining and competently made crime film.

The criminal gang here hold hostage a subway carriage in order to extract a ransom from the New York mayor.  

As a plan it is far better than Dennis Hopper‘s mad scheme in ‘Speed’ where he has no control over when and if his hostages die.

However it does suffer from the problem of how they are going to escape to the surface without being caught.  Their solution is fairly obvious and depends on the NYPD not thinking to post men at all the relevant subway exits.

Then again most of the people we encounter in this film, from the mayor down, are portrayed as being lazy or useless or both.  So in comparison a moderately competent person such as Lieutenant Zachary Garber, beautifully played by Walter Matthau, seems like a giant among pygmies.

But the somewhat chaotic way the authorities behave is one of the charms of this film, and the resolution is similarly lowkey and realistic, which was enough to satisfy 1970s audiences.

So whilst this film may not be an unimpeachable masterpiece it is good fun.

Also the criminals, who include Robert Shaw and Martin Balsam, disguise their identity by calling themselves Mr Blue etc, many years before ‘Reservoir Dogs’ - how cool is that?

RATING: ✓ Cheers