The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1998) (TV)

Director:

Félix Enríquez Alcalá

Writers (WGA):

John Godey (novel)
Peter Stone (earlier screenplay)

Release Date:

1 February 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

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 Keywords:

Subway | Hostage | Hijack | Railway | Electric Railway

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Atac la metrou (Romania) [ro]
Inferno Subterrâneo (Brazil) [pt]
Le métro de l'angoisse (France) [fr]
O Seqüestro do Metrô (Brazil) (cable TV title) [pt]
Pelham 1, 2, 3 (Secuestro en Nueva York) (Spain) [es]
Pelham 1-2-3 kaapattu (Finland) [fi]
Pelham 1-2-3 kapat (Sweden) [sv]
Pesadelo Subterrâneo (Portugal) (video title) [pt]

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Netherlands:16 (video premiere) | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

MGM Television

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.

Goofs:

Continuity: Anthony asks Inez why the train was moved before the route was clear, she says it was in order to get away from the police in the tunnel, and he says that's only why Mr. Blue said it was being done. They seem to think they are in the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), whose Mr. Blue did give that reason for the action. The Mr. Blue of this remake gave none. "Slight change of plans" was all he said, and all questions were ignored.

Movie Connections:

Version of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009)

Good enough for TV

A cold murderous high jacker with three associates, takes a train and holds it and its passengers hostage, killing one at a time to obtain a large ransom. Based on an earlier film of the same title, which I have not viewed, this TV version suffers a little from modest budgets and a less than sterling cast. Vincent d'Onofrios, as the senior high jacker, a quirky rather wooden actor at best, fleetingly looking like a young Orson Welles, does what he can to provide sinister menace to his role, while Edward James Olmos is not a very impressive substitute for the formidable Walter Matthau. However it is fair to comment this is a reasonable thriller for TV, and the grainy dark underground railway sequences are quite suspenseful. Makes me keen to see the original film.