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On the surface, this is about the hijack of a New Tork subway train. At a deeper level, this is a state-of-the-nation film, contrasting the failing bureaucracy running 1970s America, and New York City in particular, with the efficiently time-tabled military planning of the hijackers, led by the chillingly menacing English ex-colonel, Robert Shaw. News of the hijack is slow to percolate from the train operators to the transport police to the mayoral office, and all along the chain of command we see fat, middle-aged, white men, oozing contempt for women and minorities, cruising through another easy day at work. Plenty of coffee-breaks and heads buried in newspapers. Trains & offices alike are dirty and tatty, and it's clear there's been no real investment since the Depression. Matthau is the transport police lieutenant, who tries to play for time with the hijackers, only to be shot down by Shaw, who calmly promises one death per minute past his ransom deadline. Tellingly, it is only he and another Jew, the Deputy Mayor, who manage to kick the Mayor, and the bureaucracy as a whole, out of its complacency. The surface plot plays out entertainingly, with a number of true-to-life set piece thrills, the highlight of which is a runaway driverless train, heading hard for the end of the tracks. The getaway is also satisfyingly planned, and there's an amusing last scene. However, the harsh lesson of the film comes a little earlier: the proper price for failed planners is the Hammurabi penalty of death --- 1970s New York take note. Read full review
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Saw this film when I was young always stuck in my mind. Another excellent performance by Robert Shaw. Excellent film when planned out. I 've also got the remake with John Travolta and Denzil Washington
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Fantastic classic film about a train heist!!. Terrific performances from Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw.
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Brilliant film, Brilliant cast great story
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Good movie
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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