The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1998)

Interesting facts

• Based on: The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is a 1998 American television crime thriller film directed by Félix Enríquez Alcalá and starring Edward James Olmos, Vincent D'Onofrio, Donnie Wahlberg, and Lorraine Bracco. It is a television adaptation of the novel of the same name by Morton Freedgood, and is a remake of the 1974 film adaptation. It was followed by a 2009 remake.

Production details

The film is a remake, with Edward James Olmos in the Walter Matthau role and Vincent D'Onofrio replacing Robert Shaw as the lead hijacker. Although not particularly well received by critics or viewers, this version was reportedly more faithful to the book, specifically in the rigging of the hijacked train for the getaway.

The film was shot in Toronto's TTC subway system, mainly using the system's Bay, St. Andrew, Castle Frank, Broadview, Woodbine, and Museum stations. Two of a class of older cars were used for backlot before being shipped by road to a scrapyard the day after filming ended, still disguised as New York cars.

The cars used for filming cannot operate singly, so a two-car set was used. A phony cab was built on the other end of H-1 car 5482 to simulate single car operation. The single car supposedly detached from the front of the train can be seen on several occasions to be part of a train of at least two cars.

Since the film was produced much later than the original, there are also additions to the film that did not exist in the original. For example, one of the characters sets up an IBM ThinkPad laptop computer, connected wirelessly to a motion detector that he places on the track. Later in the film, another character views the screen to see an approaching person, whom he confronts in the tunnel.

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