There are as many reasons to recommend this 70s thriller as there actors in the movie. Unlike the dodgy remake which is little more than a star vehicle for Travolta and Denzel, this is truly an ensemble film full of brilliant characters.
Walter Mathau is the most famous of the bunch and a delight to watch in his role as the regular joe New York transport cop faced with an unprecendented hijacking of a subway car by mercenary Robert Shaw and his gang.
Every single character in this film stands out though and they all get to utter great lines of dialogue that could have come straight from an Elmore Leonard novel.
The other major character in the movie is the city of New York itself. You learn a lot about how the institutions and infrastructure of a city function. How many other thrillers can boast a bootcamp in urban governance?
Catch it while you can on Netflix.