THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE (1977)

Four armed men have hijacked a New York City subway train and presented the authorities with some seemingly unobtainable demands. If the powers that be won't - or can't - comply, they'll start killing the hostages, one by one. That's a worrying scenario that has been at the forefront of many New Yorkers' minds since September 11, 2001. But, thankfully, it's only occurring in a film, and one marking its 30th anniversary next year.

The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three, which stars a curmudgeonly Walter Matthau in a rare serious role, is not one of the classic New York movies. That honour is usually reserved for Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977) or William Friedkin's The French Connection (1971). Pelham's script is hammy, and the film is full of racial and New York stereotypes. But, 29 years later, this tense actioner still has a lot to say about Gotham, past and present. What's more, with New Yorkers still expecting terrorists to emerge from every manhole cover in the city, the film seems a lot more relevant than it should. MGM recently screened a new print at New York's Film Forum, and it is available internationally on DVD.

In fact, the bad guys in The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three aren't terrorists at all. They're criminals after a big payload. Back in 1974, terrorism was something that happened in other countries, not America. Instead of Islamic fundamentalists, New Yorkers feared violent assault by gang members or drug addicts. It was a time when to accidentally look someone in the eyes on the subway was to risk a violent response, and a heavily debt-ridden city couldn't do much to make its citizens feel safe. The film, directed by Joseph Sargent from a novel by John Godey, takes this chaotic, bankrupt city and uses it as the setting for the ultimate heist.

The story starts when a subway train pulls out of its station at 1.23pm. As it crosses Manhattan, four trilby-hatted men with false moustaches board the train. The men all have colour coded names - Mr Blue, Mr Grey, Mr Brown and Mr Green - something that Quentin Tarantino later borrowed for his 1992 debut Reservoir Dogs. The men pull machine guns out of their cases and take over the train.

Soon, they've detached a carriage from the main train and taken a cross-section of New Yorkers hostage. These include a grumpy old Jewish man, a hooker with unfeasibly large sunglasses, a black man in far-out 1970s threads, a frightened Puerto Rican girl, and a mother with two young children. The hijackers radio the subway control room and demand US$1 million for the release of the hostages or they'll start executing them.

Back in the control room, hang dog-faced transit policeman Zachary 'Z' Garber (Walter Matthau), has to figure out what to do. His second-in-command is more concerned with keeping the rest of the trains running on time than saving the hostages, while the New York City mayor initially thinks it'll be cheaper to let the criminals keep the subway train than pay them the cash. The hijackers start the clock, saying that unless they get the money in an hour, they'll kill a hostage every minute. A clever, sometimes brutal, cat-and-mouse game ensues between Matthau and the criminals.

Matthau, who was born on New York's then rough Lower East Side, puts in a riveting performance. He is gruff and tough, and manages to keep his cool as the villains start to get the upper hand. He's an actor better known for comedies such as The Odd Couple (1968), although he did start his career in hard-man roles. Pelham marked the end of a short spell of dramatic work in the early 1970s for Matthau, who reverted to comedies soon after. 'I fell into seven years of comedy,' he told The New York Times in 1974, 'and I began to resent the fact that that was all I was sent. It's difficult to do comedy, although I really like it better. But it was good for a change'.