American filmmakers in the 1970s perfected taught, relentlessly paced thrillers, and Joseph Sargent's original version of The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three, which stars Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw, remains one of the best of the era. The streamlined plot - a trio of colour-coded terrorists (featuring Shaw as Blue) take over a subway train and hold the passengers hostage, promising to kill one every minute if their demand for a million dollars isn't met within the hour. Matthau's police lieutenant for the transit authority uses all the cunning he can muster to ouwit the ruthless crooks. Robert Shaw is a revelation here and his performance is essential viewing for anyone who is only familiar with him as Quint in Jaws (which, let's face it, is a lot of people), while Matthau injects the kind of droll, cynical humour you'd expect from such a Grumpy Old Man.
