Line #6 YMMV/TheTakingOfPelhamOneTwoThree


1	* AdaptationDisplacement: Of John Godey's novel, which has largely been forgotten in place of the film remakes. This is somewhat ironic considering that the original, as indicated by its film poster, used the book's popularity as part of its marketing.
2	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: In the 2009 remake, it is never established beyond a reasonable doubt that Garber ''wasn't'' involved. The entire movie could have been a XanatosGambit by Garber, as evidenced by him arriving home happy at the end - not mentally exhausted or breaking down from the stress. He could well have been TheManBehindTheCurtain, HidingInPlainSight, and had to resort to some XanatosSpeedChess, and then taken advantage of the chance to [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness remove loose ends]] for himself or a larger organization he was working for.
3	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: David Shire's [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLy5kryT0xrJNgOPTj6XL6LgE3HOSkgSEN score]] for the original movie is drop-dead funky, with sleazy horns and a memorable [[EpicRiff Epic Bassline]], but what lifts it into sheer awesomeness is that the whole thing is written according to the twelve-tone system of modernist composer Arnold Schoenberg - and yet it's still hummable. It's also a perfect piece of Batucada, a style of Brazilian Samba that sounds like a train, replacing many of the drums with more New York-like urban noises.
4	* HilariousInHindsight: In the original, The Mayor very closely resembles real-life NYC mayor Ed Koch...who wouldn't take office until three years after the film was made!
5	* MagnificentBastard:
6	** 1974 original: [[BigBad Bernard Ryder]], an out-of-work mercenary looking for a big score to retire on, takes the alias "Mr. Blue" and recruits three other men to assist in his takeover of the titular subway train, [[HostageSituation holding the passengers hostage]] in exchange for one million dollars, threatening to begin executing them if his demands are not met. Having his subordinate Mr. Green disable the train's DeadMansSwitch to prepare for their escape, Blue also shows his gratitude to his companions by staying behind to fight the cops after Mr. Brown is shot and killed in a firefight, allowing Mr. Green to escape with the money. [[NeverGoingBackToPrison Choosing to kill himself to go out on his own terms when caught]], Blue's respect for Green and Brown and eventual killing of the psychotic Mr. Grey cement him as a brilliant and [[NobleDemon honorable]] criminal.
7	** 2009 remake: [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Dennis "Ryder" Ford]] is a former Wall Street broker who went to prison when caught skimming large funds. Teaming with a former subway driver named Phil Ramos and two other thugs, Ryder hijacks a train cart for $10 million while warning that a hostage will be killed every minute past the deadline and killing the driver when MTA worker Walter Garber tries to back out of being the middleman and nearly kills another hostage when forcing Garber to admit [[DirtyCop he took a bribe]] that he's on the verge of being demoted for. Ryder also shorts stocks through the crisis and betting against them, gets about $307 million as a result too. When the money arrives three minutes after the deadline, Ryder elects to [[PetTheDog only kill one hostage rather than three]] and then sets the others free after getting the money by sending the cart off speeding until it eventually stops at a red light. Wanting not to go back to prison when Garber catches him, Ryder then [[SuicideByCop forces Garber to kill him]], also wanting Garber to redeem himself by doing so.
8	* {{Narm}}:
9	** A lot of critics derided the excessive amount of swearing in the 2009 film, especially Ryder's "He can lick my bunghole, motherfucker!" line.
10	** One notable example is the man on the subway train, moments from death [[CasualDangerDialogue telling his girlfriend via webcam he loved her]].
11	* NightmareFuel: [[spoiler: Mr. Blue's suicide in the 1974 version. When he hears from Garber that New York does not execute criminals, he replies, "Pity," and deliberately touches the third rail; a buzzing noise is heard and Garber cringes as the camera pans from Blue's legs, up his torso, to his hands, which are stiffly jerking, to his face, which has taken on an expression of extreme pain, while all the while, white smoke issues from his body. The buzzing only stops when Blue finally crumples to the floor. The background music (yes there is background music) doesn't make things better.]] Garber's reaction: "Christ."
12	* RetroactiveRecognition:
13	** Creator/HectorElizondo is Mr. Grey, although hardly recognizable without his trademark goatee, baldness and collectedness.
14	** Additionally, if Mr. Brown's voice sounds familiar, that's because it's Earl Hindman, better known as Wilson from ''Series/HomeImprovement'', in his younger years.
15	** Creator/DorisRoberts, better known as [[Series/EverybodyLovesRaymond Ray Barone's mother]], appears as the mayor's wife.
16	** Creator/JerryStiller, years before he was [[Series/{{Seinfeld}} Frank Costanza]], is Lt. Patrone.
17	* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Both the 1974 and 2009 versions reflect their respective eras.
18	** The original rested heavily on its [[TheBigRottenApple '70s New York]] atmosphere. Many of the hostages on the train are '70s caricatures, while the city is so strapped for cash that paying a ransom of just a million dollars is a stretch for them. The idea of four men stepping onto a subway train with nobody searching their jackets and gift boxes for guns is also something that wouldn't happen after 9/11.
19	** Likewise, the 2009 remake incorporated both post-9/11 terrorism fears and the then-recent onset of the Great Recession into the villain's motivations. [[spoiler:Ryder was a former Wall Street tycoon convicted of fraud who hijacked the subway in order to create a panic over another terrorist attack, allowing him to make a massive amount of money via put options on certain stocks.]]
20	* ValuesDissonance: Garber's ''very'' '70s attitude toward female cops. You'd never see a film's hero talking like this these days. Other characters also exhibit shockingly racist and sexist attitudes which would never be acceptable today; for example, Caz Dolowicz's ranting about newly qualified female workers. His opening scenes with the Japanese visitors are also very questionable, though made more palatable by how he ends up being the butt of the joke when it turns out they speak perfect English.

Context YMMV / TheTakingOfPelhamOneTwoThree