THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE, TWO, THREE

With a terrific screenplay by Peter Stone and brilliant direction from Joseph Sargent, (it's easily the best thing he's ever done), "The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three" is still one of the most enjoyable heist movies ever made, (in this case, heist as in the hijacking of a subway train). I've seen it countless times and never tire of it. In fact, I love so much I have deliberately avoided the Travolta/Washington remake so I can't pass comment there.

It has a very simple but ingenious plot; four men hijack a New York subway train and hold 18 passengers hostage. The ransom is a million dollars and the getaway plan, considering they are in an underground tunnel, is perhaps the most ingenious part of the plot. Robert Shaw and Martin Balsam are two of the hi-jackers and Walter Matthau, the New York cop doing the negotiations but the whole cast are first-rate. This is a great ensemble piece, in front, as well as behind, the camera. Unmissable.