New On Netflix: The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

You want to make a movie that truly captures what New Yorkers are like? Make sure you have a hostage scenario somewhere in your plot. What is it about a hostage situation that brings out the true spirit of the people of New York City? Sidney Lumet did it with Dog Day Afternoon and Spike Lee did it thirty years later with Inside Man. But the best example might very well be The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, a film that features Mr. Blue (Robert Shaw) and his gang of thugs hijacking a subway train, threatening to kill one passenger every minute until they’re given a million bucks. Pelham is an old-school crackerjack thriller, just about as entertaining and exciting as a movie could possibly be — and while it also paints a portrait of a grittier, long-gone NYC, its portrayal of commuters who aren’t necessarily scared but more annoyed at the inconvenience of being taken hostage is pretty much spot-on… and timeless.