Line #50 Film/TheTakingOfPelhamOneTwoThree


1	[[quoteright:305:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_0821.JPG]]
2	[[caption-width-right:305:Thank you for choosing the UsefulNotes/NewYorkSubway.]]
3
4	->'''Garber:''' You won't believe it.\
5	'''Rico:''' You know me, I'll believe anything.\
6	'''Garber:''' The train's been hijacked.\
7	'''Rico:''' I don't believe it.
8
9	A 1974 HeistFilm [[TheFilmOfTheBook adapted from]] John Godey's thriller novel published the previous year, directed by Joseph Sargent and starring Creator/WalterMatthau and Creator/RobertShaw. The supporting cast includes Creator/MartinBalsam, Creator/HectorElizondo, Creator/JamesBroderick, Creator/DickONeill, Creator/TonyRoberts, Creator/DorisRoberts and Creator/JerryStiller.
10
11	During an otherwise mundane day at the office, New York City Transit Police lieutenant Zachary Garber (Matthau) receives the shocking news that a gang of men have hijacked a [[UsefulNotes/NewYorkCitySubway subway train]]. The hijackers, led by "Mr. Blue" (Shaw), are demanding a $1 million ransom to be paid within one hour, otherwise they will begin killing the hostages. It becomes a RaceAgainstTime for Garber to deliver the money and save the lives of the passengers whilst also trying to anticipate the hijackers' next move.
12
13	The story was remade as a 1998 [[Creator/AmericanBroadcastingCompany ABC]] MadeForTVMovie starring Creator/EdwardJamesOlmos and Creator/VincentDOnofrio, and once again as a 2009 theatrical feature starring Creator/DenzelWashington and Creator/JohnTravolta. The 2009 version, directed by Creator/TonyScott, splits the Garber character into two different people: MTA Dispatcher Walter Garber (Washington) and NYPD Hostage Negotiator Detective Camonetti (Creator/JohnTurturro). Travolta co-stars as Ryder, the criminal mastermind and leader of the highly-armed gang of hijackers, including a subway-knowledgeable henchman named Ramos (Creator/LuisGuzman). Adding to the trouble, Ryder refuses to speak with Camonetti, thus forcing Garber to negotiate with him on his own. As the tension mounts beneath his feet, Garber must employ his extensive knowledge of the subway system in a battle to outwit Ryder and save the hostages.
14
15	----
16	!!The 1974 film provides examples of:
17
18	* AffablyEvil: Mr. Blue. He is unfailingly polite to the hostages, rebukes Mr. Grey for using excessive force and harassing a female hostage, is angered when Mr. Brown is wounded [[spoiler: and subsequently killed]], makes sure that [[spoiler: Mr. Green gets away]] but doesn't even get angry when Garber corners him. He only kills two people, one of them a colossal Jerkass who had become a liability to his team and another because he had made a threat to do so unless his conditions were met, and they were not met, so he had to carry it out. When he kills the [[spoiler: train conductor]], he does it by politely asking him to go off up the tunnel to meet the cops carrying the money, so that the man won't know he's about to be shot.
19	* ArcWords: "Gesundheit."
20	* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking:
21	-->'''Garber''': In the course of a normal week, the average TA policeman deals with such crimes as robbery, assault, murder, drunkenness, illness, vandalism, ''mishegoss''[[note]]Yiddish, "craziness"[[/note]], abusiveness, sexual molestation, exhibitionism...
22	* ATeamFiring: When Brown gets shot in the shoulder, he responds with a spray of gunfire out the train door. The SWAT team in the tunnel answers, then Mr. Grey fires a burst. Nobody gets hit, though the two officers with the money are forced to flatten themselves to the ground.
23	* AxCrazy: Grey. Why do you think they threw him out of the Mafia? Plus, he likens murder to scoring points in a sports event.
24	* BabyCarriage: The police car racing to bring the money to the station by Mr. Blue's deadline crashes after swerving to avoid a bicycle vendor.
25	* BadassBoast
26	-->'''Blue:''' I once had a man shot for talking to me like that.
27	-->'''Grey:''' Well that's the difference between us. I've always done my own killing.
28	** Note that Mr. Blue's line is also {{Foreshadowing}}, in that [[spoiler: he will indeed kill Mr. Grey later on for talking to him like that.]]
29	* BaldOfEvil: Mr. Grey is bald and probably the worst of the hijackers.
30	* {{Bathos}}: After the train comes screeching to a halt, the passengers are left in various states of distress, crying and moaning in pain from their ordeal. At that moment, a drunk woman who has been passed out for the whole time wakes up and blearily says "42nd Street already?"
31	* BerserkButton: Don't hurt Mr. Brown in front of Mr. Blue. When Brown is wounded by one of the cops, Blue kills a hostage. When Brown is [[spoiler:shot and killed by the undercover cop,]], Blue loses all thoughts of escape and attacks the cop.
32	* BigApplesauce: Where else is someone gonna hijack a subway train? Also the original novel was written by a born and bred New Yorker.
33	* BigBad: Mr. Blue, aka [[spoiler:Bernard Ryder,]] is the leader of the hijackers.
34	* TheBigRottenApple: NYC's dysfunctional '70s glory is showcased, albeit to mostly-comedic effect.
35	* BilingualBackfire: Garber is told to look after a group of Tokyo subway executives who follow him around obediently without speaking. He quickly gets sick of playing tour guide and, assuming they don't speak any English, gets ever more insulting towards them, casually referring to them as "dummies" and "idiots". When the hostage situation occurs and he asks one of his co-workers to lead them out, one of them responds, in perfect English and with a ''very'' mocking tone to his voice:
36	-->'''Japanese executive:''' It is alright, Lt. Garber. I'm sure we can find it by ourselves.
37	* BrickJoke: The unpopular Mayor doesn't want to visit the scene of the hijacking because he'll be booed. Later in the film he does show up (offscreen)--and:
38	-->'''NYPD Official''': ''[over the sound of loud booing]'' Jesus, it's the goddamn Mayor.
39	* TheBrute: Mr. Grey is the most vicious of the hijackers and has the least respect for Mr. Blue.
40	* CaptainObvious: Mr. Blue. Justified in that he has no intention of giving away the hijackers' intentions, so he simply states the obvious.
41	-->'''Hostage''': Excuse me, mister. Don't you think we should be let in on what's happening?
42	-->'''Mr. Blue''': What's happening, sir, is that you're being held by four very dangerous men armed with machine guns.
43	-->'''Hostage''': I suppose you ask a foolish question...
44	* ChekhovsGun: The sneeze. The repeated warnings to avoid the third rail. The subway train's "dead man's feature".
45	* ChekhovsGunman: The hippie hostage who turns out to be an undercover cop.
46	* ClickHello: Mr. Blue makes his intentions known to the motorman by pulling his gun on him.
47	-->'''Mr. Blue''': I'm taking your train.
48	* ClusterFBomb: The movie had quite a high quotient of expletives for a mainstream 1974 release. One character even says "How the hell can you run a goddamn railroad without swearing?!"
49	* CorruptPolitician: The mayor in the original is implied to be this. When he protests to his deputy that the city doesn't have a million dollars to use as ransom money, his deputy replies "Empty one of your Swiss bank accounts."
50	* CreepyMonotone: Mr. Blue talks in this.
51	* CutTheJuice: Mr. Green cuts all the subway power from [=14th=] to [=33rd=] Street. Unfortunately he can't do anything about the emergency lights.
52	* DeadpanSnarker: Almost everyone in the original. Even the hostages get in on it.
53	-->'''Old Man''': Excuse me, sir. Would you mind telling us how much you're getting?
54	-->'''Mr. Blue''': What's it to you, sir?
55	-->'''Old Man''': Well, a man likes to know his worth.
56	-->'''Mr. Blue''': One million dollars.
57	-->'''Old Man''': That's not so terrific.
58	** Blue offers Lt. Garber a quarter million dollar bribe to let him go.
59	--->'''Garber:''' No thanks, my accountant says that I've accepted enough for this fiscal quarter.
60	** Between Mr. Grey and Caz Dolowicz:
61	--->'''Dolowicz:''' Why didn't you go grab a goddamn aeroplane like everybody else?
62	--->'''Mr. Gray:''' 'Cause we're afraid of flying!
63	* DeathByAdaptation: Bud Carmody, the conductor, who survives in the novel.
64	* DeathGlare: Mr. Blue gives Mr. Grey one of these after he's [[spoiler: shot the conductor]], possibly as payback for Mr. Grey's BadassBoast (above). It turns out that Mr. Blue is quite capable of doing his own killing.
65	* DecoyGetaway: The criminals order all lights set to green and the police cleared off every station to South Ferry, to make it look like they're planning to escape via the river. Actually the train has been rigged to move by itself while the criminals slip out an emergency exit.
66	* DieHardOnAnX: ''Die Hard'' in an subway train.
67	* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: In the original novel and two out of three film adaptations, Mr. Grey is murdered by Mr. Blue because he refuses to get rid of his gun during the crew's getaway and Blue figures out that, TriggerHappy as Grey is, he will inevitably shoot it out with the cops. In the Tony Scott adaptation, Grey is not killed by Blue but he do encounters the cops during his getaway [[MultipleGunshotDeath and is blown away by them]] when he refuses to surrender.
68	* TheDragon: Mr. Green is Blue's second-in-command, confidant, and the most important person in the scheme.
69	* DramaticIrony: A train board controller early in the film walks through an unlocked gate into the tunnels. After all, "Who's gonna steal a train?"
70	* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Mr. Blue fries himself on the third rail when he's told New York won't be able to oblige him since the death penalty's no longer on the books.]]
71	* DudeLooksLikeALady: Lt. Garber sees the hippie cop lying wounded on the ground (after wondering the entire time if it'll be a man or a woman).
72	-->"We'll have an ambulance here soon, miss."
73	* EurekaMoment: Garber manages to do some quick thinking when the car carrying the ransom money crashes with no time left to spare, when he realizes that the hijackers don't know that the car has crashed.
74	-->'''Police Officer:''' If they know the truck is wrecked, how can they expect us to be on time?\
75	'''Garber:''' They don't know anything down there. How can they know anything when they are-- Holy Mackerel, that's it.\
76	''<switches on the radio with Mr. Blue>''\
77	'''Garber:''' Pelham One-Two-Three, the money has arrived. I repeat, the money has arrived!
78	* EvenEvilHasStandards: Mr. Grey was fired from the Mafia for being too violent.[[note]]The novel explains that Mr. Gray's taste for violence got in the way of running protection rackets effectively; the victims felt no obligation to cooperate since he tended to beat them whether they paid the protection money or not.[[/note]]
79	** When Mr. Grey hits the black hostage with his gun for nothing more than a sarcastic remark, Mr. Blue says sharply "Mr. Grey!"
80	* TheEveryman: Garber.
81	* EvilBrit: Mr. Blue.
82	-->'''Garber:''' He's got a heavy English accent. He might be a fruitcake.
83	* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: Jokingly employed when Garber meets Inspector Daniels (to whom he's only spoken via radio) face-to-face for the first time and discovers he's black. He says that he was expecting someone shorter.
84	* ExtremeDoormat: Mr. Grey considers Mr. Brown one of these.
85	* FailsafeFailure: The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead-man%27s_switch Dead Man's Switch]] in the subway cars are defeated quite ingeniously.
86	* FateWorseThanDeath: On finding that New York has no death penalty, Blue electrocutes himself rather than face life in prison.
87	* TheFilmOfTheBook: The original and both remakes.
88	* FingerGun: The cop who followed Dolowitz into the tunnel pretends to shoot at the train with his finger as the money arrives. The second time he does it, another cop farther down the tunnel shoots Mr. Brown in the arm, prompting a small, inconclusive volley of shots.
89	* FirstDayFromHell: The train conductor in the original. [[spoiler:It ends with his death, shot in the back by Mr. Blue.]]
90	* FlippingTheBird: [[spoiler:Mr. Grey]] does this to Mr. Blue before trying to shoot him. Unfortunately Blue is faster on the draw.
91	* FrameUp: Mr. Green (1974) was framed for the actions of DirtyCops and lost his job sometime ago. He wants revenge and that's why he's in on the scheme.
92	** UnreliableNarrator: Or so he claims. Mr Blue looks a bit skeptical at this story.
93	* TheGenericGuy: Mr. Brown is the least distinctive of the hijackers, apart from having a SpeechImpediment and that Mr. Blue trusts him.
94	* GoingDownWithTheShip: An exchange between the driver Doyle and Caz Dolowicz, who is infuriated to find Doyle has left the train and is leading the remaining passengers back to the station.
95	-->'''Doyle:''' They were gonna kill me, for God's sake!
96	-->'''Dolowicz:''' You're like the captain of the ship: you're supposed to go ''down with it''!
97	* GroinAttack: During the initial takeover in the 1974 original, Mr. Grey threatens to "shoot [a passenger's] pee-pee off" while he guards Mr. Brown threatening the conductor.
98	* HateSink: [[PsychoForHire Mr. Grey]], real name Giuseppe Benvenuto, is one of four men who hijack a subway train for ransom. Throughout the film, Grey antagonizes the hostages, sexually harassing a woman, beating a black man for mouthing off ([[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain and calling him the N-word]]), and trying to shoot cops after a ceasefire. He also guns down a transit supervisor and chuckles about it afterwards, saying he "got [the hijackers] on the scoreboard". The hijackers' leader Mr. Blue frequently has to step in and stop him from going too far, and makes clear that he does not trust Grey because he was thrown out of the Mafia for being too violent. When the hijackers attempt to escape, Grey delays them by refusing to give up his gun; Blue, who has had enough of him, just shoots him dead.
99	* HeavySleeper: One of the hostages in the original is a drunken woman who remains sound asleep and oblivious to what's going on until the end.
100	-->''(after the train screeches to a halt)'' [[AlcoholHic hic]]... 42nd Street already?
101	* HighVoltageDeath: The mastermind chooses to commit suicide rather than be captured by the police, because if convicted he was likely to face life in prison, and he preferred dying to that. He fries himself by stepping on the live third rail in the subway.
102	* HiredGuns: Mr. Blue in the original is an out-of-work British mercenary.
103	* HostageSituation: Played with, hostages are used as "commodities" and traded over to the police for one million dollars.
104	* IdiotBall: When an unarmed and unprepared Caz Dolowicz tries to be a hero by trying to charge into the subway car with the armed hijackers, the outcome is inevitable.
105	* InfoDump: Several explanations of how subways work. It's handled fairly well.
106	* InstantDeathBullet: Averted throughout the entire movie. Every person except two dies from being shot multiple times.
107	* InstantEmergencyResponse: Averted in the 1974 version.
108	* InTheBack: [[spoiler:The conductor and Mr. Brown are killed with a shot to the back.]]
109	* {{Jerkass}}: To a certain extent, all the hijackers, but the openly racist and trigger-happy Mr. Grey gets the gold star.
110	* JustOneLittleMistake: Only in the original novel and film: [[spoiler:Mr. Green would have made a perfect getaway if he hadn't done the heist while he had a cold.]]
111	* LampshadeHanging: "Why the fuck didn't we use a helicopter to transport the money?"
112	* LecherousLicking: Mr. Grey does towards another passenger before the takeover.
113	* LemmingCops: In both the 1974 and 2009 versions the escort bringing the money is rushing, fitting the mood, however throwing caution to the wind so the expected outcome happens.
114	* MadeOfIron: Averted; the hippy cop lies stunned for a few minutes after jumping off the train while it's moving.
115	* MathematiciansAnswer: Mr. Brown's exchange with a passenger:
116	-->'''Passenger:''' Would you gentlemen mind telling me what you're doing?
117	-->'''Mr. Brown:''' Yeah, I would!
118	* MissedHimByThatMuch: [[spoiler:Mr. Green]] escapes from the subway via the emergency exit moments before Garber arrives.
119	* MoneyFetish: In the final scene, Mr. Green is back at his apartment lying on his bed surrounded by the all the cash he's retrieved, gleefully revelling in it. Then there's a knock at the door...
120	* MoreDakka: More overt in the 1974 film, made before every movie hoodlum started toting an automatic weapon.
121	-->'''Mr. Blue:''' Now, ladies and gentlemen, do you see this gun? It fires 750 rounds of 9mm ammunition per minute. In other words, if all of you simultaneously were to rush me, not a single one of you would get any closer than you are now.
122	* NewMeat: Bud Carmody, the conductor.
123	* NiceMeanAndInBetween: [[BigBad Mr. Blue's]] interactions with the other hijackers. He's relatively nice to Mr. Brown, whom he trusts, and Brown getting hurt is a BerserkButton for Mr. Blue. For Mr. Grey, he's the least tolerant toward him and [[spoiler:eventually shoots him during a dispute during the escape.]] Mr. Green is somewhere in between; Mr. Blue is a little stern when Green nearly gives up details about himself to the motorman at the beginning, but Green is shown as Blue's confidant and [[spoiler:Blue makes sure that Green makes a clean getaway while Blue stays behind to kill the undercover cop.]]
124	* NoNameGiven: None of the hostages are given names. In the original film, they're listed in the credits as "The Secretary", "The Mother", "The Old Man", "The Homosexual", "The Pimp", etc.
125	* NobleBigotWithABadge: Garber is somewhat dumbfounded when the high-ranking officer he's been talking to on the radio turns out to be black. He also mistakes the hippie cop for a woman because of his long hair.
126	* NobleDemon: Mr. Green, to an extent. He is the most sympathetic out of all the criminals, and genuinely doesn't want to kill anybody. However, he [[spoiler:also gleefully indulges in his share of one million dollars he gets at the end with the deaths of his three cohorts, seemingly leaving behind any remorse for his actions.]]
127	* NonUniformUniform: All the hijackers in the original wear similar hats, glasses, and have mustaches; their long coats are different colors: blue, green, grey, and brown.
128	* NotSoStoic: Garber finally gets tired of Burrell's crap:
129	--> '''Burrell:''' I don't give a rat's ass to your fuckin' instructions! I'm not lifting a finger to help the killers of Caz Dolowicz!
130	-->'''Garber:''' (''grabbing him by the shirt'') Now you listen to me, you dumb son of a bitch. You don't do what I tell ya, you'll be ''havin' dinner tonight'' with Caz Dolowicz!
131	* OhCrap:
132	** The passengers when the hijackers pull out their submachine guns.
133	** Garber's reaction when he realises that all four of the Japanese subway executives speak good English, having just spent the past half an hour insulting them.
134	** The cops carrying the ransom realise the SWAT police are hiding in the tunnel with them.
135	--->"We've got four submachine guns in front of us, and all these jokers behind us. I feel like I'm walking into the fuckin' OK Corral."
136	** The passengers realise that ''every'' hijacker left the train, [[RunawayTrain so there's no-one driving it.]] The Old Man tries to assure them that the safety system will trip when there's a red light. Someone shouts that all the lights are green, and then everyone really starts to panic.
137	** Mr. Green, twice [[spoiler:in the final scene -- when the police knock on his door and he has to hide the money, and again when he sneezes.]]
138	* OnlyAFleshWound: Mr. Brown gets shot in the shoulder but has little problem with it due to being of the "went right through" variety.
139	* PerfectHealth:
140	** Averted with Mr. Green, who has a bad cold (and whose sneezing [[spoiler:leads to his capture at the end]]).
141	** The Mayor is also shown to be suffering from a cold.
142	* PetTheDog: When Mr. Blue decides to kill the [[spoiler: conductor]], rather than let his victim know it, he politely asks him to go off up the tunnel to meet the police officers bringing the money. The man is still scared, but at least he didn't have to look his own death in the face: as he's walking away from the train, Mr. Blue shoots him from behind without warning.
143	* PoliceAreUseless: Averted by Garber, who is actually a competent detective. He eventually works out how the hijackers are planning to escape ([[spoiler:albeit moments too late to catch Mr Green]]). He and Rico also realize that one of the hijackers is a former subway driver and find him pretty quickly afterwards.
144	* PragmaticVillainy:
145	** The Mafia's reason for kicking out Mr Grey (mentioned in the novel) is he was bad for business. While running one of their protection rackets, he tended to beat the people up whether they paid or not, so most of them just stopped paying in the end.
146	** Mr. Blue's polite treatment of the hostages and his reining in Mr. Grey's jerkass behavior is this. You want the hostages to remain calm and cooperative and you don't want a gun fight in a dark tunnel.
147	** Mr. Blue's 1-hour deadline is also this. Their plan depended on not giving the authorities a chance to think or negotiate. Another reason is LampShaded by Mr. Blue that someone "got nervous or bored" and "they've been there a long time" after [[spoiler:Mr. Brown got shot]]. The longer they stayed in that tunnel, the more likely a shootout would occur.
148	* PronounTrouble: The "She's moving." "Who's moving?" RunningGag.
149	* PsychoPartyMember: Mr. Grey is the most trigger-happy and violence-prone member of the group, to the point that [[spoiler:Ryder has to blow him away when Grey utterly refuses to follow a step of the plan wherein they get rid of their guns to mix amongst the New York crowd as they escape, knowing that this will inevitably lead to a shootout.]] Grey is also mentioned in the novel to have been a Mafia member, but he had been ''expelled from the Mafia'' because his constant acts of brutality got in the way of their racketeering -- because knowing that Grey was going to brutalize them whether they paid or not, the people just decided to not pay anymore.
150	* PullTheThread: [[spoiler:A recognizable sneeze gives Mr. Green away.]]
151	* PurelyAestheticGlasses: None of the hijackers need glasses to see, they just use them for their disguises.
152	* RaceAgainstTheClock: Blue gives the authorities one hour ''exactly'' to comply with his demands, and makes it clear he's not going to compromise.
153	* RedHerring: The repeated comments that the plainclothes cop on the train might be a woman. Actually the cop is the (male) hippy.
154	* RevengeBeforeReason: In the original [[spoiler:Mr. Blue]] could have escaped along with [[spoiler:Mr. Green]], had he not decided to climb down onto the track and kill the person who shot [[spoiler:Mr. Brown]], which delayed him long enough for Garber to arrive.
155	* RobbingTheDead: [[spoiler:Mr. Blue and Mr. Green have no problem robbing Mr. Grey after the former shoots him dead.]]
156	* RunawayTrain: The hijackers turn the train into a runaway as part of their escape plan.
157	* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler:Caz Dolowicz]]'s death at the hands of Mr. Grey is what finally establishes that a serious crisis is going on.
158	* ShoutOut: Garber asks Patrone to get a list of fired subway motormen: "Somebody down there knows how to drive a train. You don't pick that up watching ''Series/SesameStreet''."
159	* SpannerInTheWorks: The undercover cop on the train. Were it not for him, three of the hijackers would probably have got away.
160	* SparedByTheAdaptation: Denny Doyle, the train motorman. In the book, he is the hostage who gets executed. The movie basically just swaps his and Bud's roles.
161	* SpeechImpediment: Mr. Brown talks with a noticeable stutter, which Grey mocks while in an argument with Mr. Blue.
162	* {{Squick}}: Garber's InUniverse reaction to Blue electrocuting himself.
163	* SwissBankAccount: When the mayor complains that the city cannot afford to pay a million dollar ransom, one of his advisers tells him to "open one of your Swiss bank accounts".
164	* TemptingFate
165	** Early in the 1974 movie, a repairman asks why a gate isn't locked. Can Dolowicz retorts: "who's gonna steal a subway train?"
166	** For years after the movie came out, New York Transit Authority dispatchers sought to avoid dispatching any train from Pelham at 1.23.
167	** Averted in the movie when Green exclaims (on seeing the ransom) "All that money. I'm going to die today." He's the only member of the criminals to survive.
168	* ThemeNaming / CodeName: The hijackers all have codenames that correspond to eye colors: Mr. Green, Mr. Blue, Mr. Gray, and Mr. Brown. The remake changes Mr. Brown to Mr. Black, spoiling the eye color theme. Creator/QuentinTarantino's ''Film/ReservoirDogs'' features color-themed codenames as an {{homage}}.
169	* TooDumbToLive:
170	** Caz Dolowicz in the original tells Mr. Grey to fuck off and tries to board the train. No prizes what Mr. Grey does to him.
171	--->'''Mr. Grey:''' I warned you, stupid! [[spoiler: shoots Dolowitz]]
172	** Speaking of Mr. Grey, he's not any smarter. His reckless behavior, lack of respect for Mr. Blue and [[spoiler:delaying their escape by refusing to give up his gun gets him killed.]]
173	** The behavior of Frank Burnell, the Train Master. See NotSoStoic above.
174	* TrailersAlwaysLie: That is not a "crowded" subway train.
175	* UndercoverCopReveal: A plainclothes transit cop is believed to be one of the hostages, but no-one can find out who he is. 'He' might even be a woman, it's suggested. It turns out to be the hippie, who in a BrickJoke is mistaken for a woman by the main protagonist because of his long hair.
176	* VehicleTitle: Pelham 1-2-3 is a subway train.
177	* VictoryThroughIntimidation: On most versions of the film (being noticeably absent on the Tony Scott version) one of the hostages says that they should all rush Mr. Blue (the hostage-takers' leader) and take him down, only for Mr. Blue to point out that he's armed with a top-of-the-line sub-machinegun and that, stuck inside of a subway car as they are, if they all were to rush him they would be bunched together and vulnerable to his return fire. "...you would all be dead before you got close to me". None of them ever try.
178	* TheVietnamVet: The black hostage, not that it earns him any respect from [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain Mr. Grey]], although it seemingly does from Mr. Blue [[spoiler:(having been in the Army himself)]], who admonishes Grey.
179	-->'''Mr. Blue:''' Be quiet! Nothing will happen as long as you obey my orders.
180	-->'''Black Guy:''' That's what they said in Vietnam, and I ''still'' got my ass shot full of lead.
181	-->'''Mr. Grey:''' Shut your mouth, nigger, [''hits him with the butt of his gun, splitting his lip''] and keep it shut!
182	-->'''Mr. Blue:''' Mr. Grey!
183	* WeaponBasedCharacterization: EvilBrit Mr. Blue uses a Browning Hi-Power as his sidearm; the Browning Hi-Power was one of the primary pistols for British armed forces for decades.
184	* WhamLine: "Gesundheit."
185	* WhoIsDriving: PlayedForDrama when the passengers suddenly realise ''all'' the hijackers have left the train, which is racing down the line at an ever increasing rate.
186	* YoureInsane: Lt. Garber to Mr. Blue after he repeatedly threatens to shoot a hostage if anything goes wrong.
187	-->'''Garber:''' I hope you take this in the right spirit, but when all this is over you should seek psychiatric help.
188
189
190	!!The 2009 film provides examples of:
191	* AdaptationalNameChange: Garber's first name is changed from Zachary to Walter, in a nod to Creator/WalterMatthau.
192	* AllIsWellThatEndsWell: Garber shoots a man dead. This is a big deal for a transit worker or any human who had never even used a gun before - let alone shot a person, but doesn't come up as it would mess with the HappyEnding.
193	* AmbiguouslyGay: Ryder. Probably a case of DepravedBisexual, since he's quite proud of his female conquests.
194	* ArtisticLicenseGunSafety: A trained NYPD sniper shows exceedingly poor trigger discipline by resting his finger on the trigger while awaiting the order to take the shot. [[spoiler: See IJustShotMarvinInTheFace below.]]
195	* CasualDangerDialog: when on a runaway train car filled with screaming passengers a young man takes a moment to tell his girlfriend he loves her via webcam.
196	* ChekhovsSkill: Garber mentions having been a motorman. This later explains why Ryder insists on him bringing the money: with Ramos dead, they need ''someone'' to drive the train.
197	* ClusterFBomb: Ryder, to the point where one could mistake him for having motherfuckin' Tourette's.
198	* CorruptCorporateExecutive: [[spoiler:Ryder is actually a former Wall Street tycoon convicted for fraud. The hostage taking was not for the ransom itself but due to the resulting suspicions of terrorism causing the stock market to plummet, which Ryder makes a massive profit from via put options.]]
199	* DeathByAdaptation: The police officer onboard the train survived the original [[spoiler: and winds up foiling the hostage takers’ plans]], is the first passenger to die in this version.
200	* DramaticIrony: The mayor, informed about the hostage situation, says that he'll take the subway to get there because "It'll be faster."
201	* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: Ryder says to Walter Garber that he was taller than expected.
202	* HollywoodLaw: Ryder makes Garber confess to taking the bribe. People around him speak as if that is an actual confession, but no one brings up that this confession was made under duress - Garber would have a very solid case in any court of law to have that particular confession thrown out as evidence because if he continued to deny the allegations ''a man would have died'' - which is far worse than taking a bribe.
203	* IJustShotMarvinInTheFace: But instead of a road bump, it's a rat. [[spoiler: Someone still gets shot in the face, though.]]
204	* InstantlyProvenWrong: They say they are "closing off every intersection" to make sure the money gets there on time. After that, every time the money motorcade is shown, it's to show it crash into some car that hurtles in the way, and it's painfully obvious no care whatsoever was taken to actually ensure a secure passage.
205	* JustTrainWrong:
206	** The train is made of [=R142A=] cars, that have a train horn similar to that used by locomotives on Metro-North and the Long Island Railroad.
207	** Also in the 2009 version, the car number on the exterior of the lead car is #8837. But in the motorman's cab, the car number is #7426. The #7400 number range is correct for the [=R142A=] rolling stock, but #8837 would be in the #8800 number range, which is assigned to the larger [=R160B=] cars used in the BMT and IND divisions.
208	** When the conductor is watching the passengers get on and off, she is in the fifth car of the train. This would be correct if the train were comprised of [=R46=] or [=R68=] cars that the BMT and IND use (which are 75 feet long and can only operate as eight car trains - two four car sets- in regular service, thus, the fifth car of the train would be the cab unit for the second set), which in a ten car train would be the second A-unit in the first five car set.
209	** [=R142=] and [=R142A=] cars are permanently linked into 5-car sets and cannot operate as single units. The only subway cars capable of operating as such are a select number of [=R62A=] cars that are assigned to the IRT Flushing Line and the 42nd Street Shuttle.
210	* LemmingCops: In both the 1974 and 2009 versions the escort bringing the money is rushing, fitting the mood, however throwing caution to the wind so the predictable happens.
211	* MoodDissonance: When TBS offered the 2009 version On Demand - they had their CommercialPopUp saying "[=TBS=] Very Funny" in the lower right all through a movie that includes seven on-screen deaths and terrified hostages.
212	* NeverGoingBackToPrison: Ryder is set against going back to prison, [[spoiler:and eventually forces a SuicideByCop rather than be captured]].
213	* PornStache: Ryder.
214	* RedHerring: The Deputy Mayor points out how the ransom is 10 million because that's the maximum they can withdraw without paperwork hassle. The Mayor asks how the deputy mayor knows this but is cut off, leaving the viewer wondering.
215	* TheRemake:
216	* ShootOutTheLock: Ramos sees there's a padlock on the power switchboard and starts griping. Bashkim just draws his gun and shoots it.
217	* TheSociopath: Ryder. He spends his time threatening the hostages, killing them when orders aren't followed, and generally [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking acts like a dickhead who]] [[ClusterFBomb frequently curses]].
218	* SuicideByCop: Bashkim and Emri in the remake.
219
220
221	!!The 1998 film provides examples of:
222	* AdaptationalNameChange:
223	** Caz Dolowitz is changed to Caz Hollowitz.
224	** Owing to the GenderLift, the conductor is changed from Bud Carmody to Barbara Cardoza.
225	* AdaptedOut:
226	** The senior conductor instructing Bud Carmody; here, the conductor is operating alone.
227	** The mother of the two boys; here the boys are riding on their own.
228	* FeetFirstIntroduction: The first shot of Mr. Blue is of his feet on the subway platform.
229	* FreeRangeChildren: The two boys on the subway are unaccompanied in this version as they are taking the subway home.
230	* GenderLift: Mr. Brown in the 1998 remake is Ms. Brown. So is the conductor and the undercover cop.
231	* GoingForTheBigScoop: A couple new characters are a news reporter and cameraman. They're responsible for causing the shootout when they surprise the officer who followed Caz into the tunnel, leading to Ms. Brown getting wounded and Cardoza's execution by Mr. Blue.
232	* HeartbeatSoundtrack: A heartbeat is heard when Blue shoots the conductor.
233	* InterfaceScrew: The camera takes a spin when the conductor falls dead.
234	* KickTheDog: The conductor's death is one for Mr. Blue, since the conductor [[UngratefulBastard was the one who treated Ms. Brown's gunshot wounds]].
235	* LaserSight: The [=MP5A3=] submachine guns are fitted with red laser dot sights, which Mr. Blue uses to intimidate the passengers into staying put.
236	* PurelyAestheticGlasses: Mr. Blue. He's the only one of the hijackers with glasses in this version and is only shown wearing them while on the platform since he's clearly removed them before making his move on the motorman.
237	* RedHerring: Played straight with the 1998 remake which changed the undercover cop to a woman.
238	* WhiteHairBlackHeart: For the 1998 TV version, Mr. Grey is a man with white-blond hair.
239

Context Film / TheTakingOfPelhamOneTwoThree