movies (subject to tumblr's inconsistent search engine. for more complete results, try the archive): badlands, blow out, bring me the head of alfredo garcia, cadavres exquis, charley varrick, chinatown, dog day afternoon, il conformista, klute, le cercle rouge, marathon man, mean streets, night moves, point blank, prime cut, save the tiger, serpico, sisters, straight time, the day of the jackal, the don is dead, the driver, the friends of eddie coyle, the getaway, the harder they come, the hot rock, the killing of a chinese bookie, the last of sheila, the long goodbye, the mackintosh man, the onion field, the organization, the parallax view, the spook who sat by the door, the sting, the taking of pelham one two three, the yakuza, three days of the condor, villain, wanda
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
Like its 2009 remake, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is a work of crime cotton candy—not bad, but mindless entertainment. Whether it’s a heist or a kidnapping, I love a criminal mastermind with a well-planned and calmly executed scheme. 1974’s hijacking team of the codenamed Blue, Grey, Green, and Brown deliver this with style superior to John Travolta’s Ryder. However, Denzel Washington’s MTA dispatcher is not only more handsome than Walter Matthau’s, he’s also more dynamically written and acted. Unsurprisingly, the films’ differences seem to reflect the attitudes of their times. In the ’70s version, you root for the criminal; in the ’00s, you root for the man fighting the terrorist.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
The film’s costume designer definitely deserves props for Matthau’s bold, fashion-forward government-employee look.
