Sargent got his start in television, first as an actor before deciding hed rather be behind the camera, helming episodes of Star Trek and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. His first theatrical film, Colossus: The Forbin Project, is a smart and scary sci-fi thriller which may be even more relevant today than it was in 1969 (perhaps why Hollywoods been trying to get a remake off the ground for several years). Sargent moved back and forth from television to the big screen for most of his career, a reliable director-for-hire with a long list of credits. Most of his filmography is solid, if somewhat unremarkable. However, 1974s The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three is a high tension masterpiece and one of the best action films of the decade. Distilling John Godeys meandering novel into a taught two hours (mainly by eschewing its long-winded backstories), Sargents film of four heavily-armed men who hijack a New York subway train in the middle of the day garnered universal praise. It has since been remade twice (badly) and inspired a young Quentin Tarantino, whose characters in Reservoir Dogs are similarly assigned colours rather than actual names (Mr. Blue, Mr. Brown, etc.). All that being said, it would be sad if we ended up remembering Joseph Sargent for his most dubious achievement, Jaws: The Revenge, his final theatrical film.
D.M. Anderson works and lives in Portland Oregon. He is the author of two young adult novels (Killer Cows & Shaken) and a collection of dark tales (With the Wicked). He has also published several short stories which have appeared (or will appear) in various anthologies and magazines such as 69 Flavors of Paranoia, Night Terrors, Trembles, Encounters, Implosion, Strange Fucking Stories, Perpetual Motion Machine. He documents his adventures in the dark on on his movie site, Free Kittens Movie Guide
