Browse Tag: subway

RECAP: The Taking of Pelham 123

The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009): Tony Scott

Jay-Z’s acclaimed song “99 Problems” booms over visuals of New York City. As the city flits about on a normal afternoon, a defanged MTA employee sits at the Rail Control Center directing traffic along the dozens of lines snaking beneath the city. One of those lines is about to get shut down.

ONE SENTENCE PLOT SUMMARY: A disgraced MTA official negotiates with a disgruntled New Yorker after the latter seizes a local subway car, holding its passengers hostage until a ransom is paid.  Continue Reading

RECAP: The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974): Joseph Sargent

What would New York do if smart hijackers took control of one of the city’s countless subway cars? Would they pay the ransom? Would they send the troops? Would they get angry about it?  Well, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three posits all three as feasible choices.

ONE SENTENCE PLOT SUMMARY: Four professionals hijack a New York City subway car and hold its passengers for ransom for $1 million, and only a transit cop stands between them and success.  Continue Reading