The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1998 film)

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is a 1998 American television movie directed by Félix Enríquez Alcalá and starring Edward James Olmos. It is a television adaptation of the novel of the same name by Morton Freedgood (writing under the pseudonym John Godey), and is a remake of the original 1974 film adaptation. It was followed by another film remake in 2009.

Plot

Edward James Olmos plays Detective Anthony Piscotti, a New York City police officer. He is trying to crack the taking of a subway train where the antagonists are holding the passengers for ransom.

Cast

• Edward James Olmos as Detective Anthony Piscotti
• Vincent D'Onofrio as Mr. Blue
• Richard Schiff as Mr. Green
• Donnie Wahlberg as Mr. Grey
• Lisa Vidal as Babs Cardoza
• Kenneth Welsh as Caz Hollowitz
• Lorraine Bracco as Det. Ray
• Tara Rosling as Mr. Brown
• Ben Cook as Older boy on subway
• Bobby Boriello as Younger boy on subway
• Bobby O'Neill as Homeboy on subway (as Black Katt)
• Ingrid Veninger as Graduate student on subway
• Alisa Wiegers as Office worker ["Shaky"]
• Peter Boretski as Old man on subway
• Stuart Clow as Jogger
• Michael A. Miranda as Denny Alcala
• Sandi Ross as Mrs. Jenkins
• Louis Del Grande as Frank Stonehouse
• Gary Reineke as Deputy Mayor
• Richard Fitzpatrick as Borough commander
• Roy Lewis as Officer Artis Washington
• Philip Akin as ESU lieutenant
• Judah Katz as TV reporter
• Catherine Blythe as Video camerawoman

Production details

The film is a remake, with Edward James Olmos in the Walter Matthau role and Vincent D'Onofrio replacing Robert Shaw as the senior hijacker. Although not particularly well received by critics or viewers, this version was reportedly more faithful to the book, specifically in the rigging of the hijacked train for the getaway.

The film was shot in Toronto's TTC subway system, mainly using the system's station platform Bay (TTC), St. Andrew (TTC) station and Museum (TTC) station, and two of a class of older cars being retired by the TTC. The two cars were shipped by road to the scrapyard the day after filming ended, still disguised as New York cars.

The Toronto subway cars used for filming cannot operate singly, so a two-car set was used. A phony cab was built on the other end of H-1 car 5482 to simulate single car operation. The single car supposedly detached from the front of the train can be seen on several occasions to be part of a train of at least two cars. The most obvious cases are when rounding curves: once when first moving forward after being detached, and later when Anthony has just figured out the hijackers' plan.

Differences from the novel

Since the film was produced much later than the original, there are also additions to the film that did not exist in the original. For example, one of the characters sets up an IBM ThinkPad laptop computer, connected wirelessly to a motion detector that he places on the track. Later in the film another character views the screen to see an approaching person, whom he confronts in the tunnel. The ransom demand in the remake was $5 million as opposed to $1 million in the original film and the novel.

Home Media

In 2012 TGG Direct released the film on DVD in full frame in a 2 pack that also included "Runaway Train".

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

• The Taking of Pelham One Two Three at the Internet Movie Database