One of the best thriller movies ever is airing on TV tonight

The film was hugely influential and got a remake. This is one of those cases, though, where the original is better than all imitators.

Set in New York City, the story sees a gang of criminals, led by a ruthless mastermind known only as Mr Blue (an ice-cold Robert Shaw, Jaws), hijack a subway car.

Communicating over the radio with New York City Transit Police, Mr Blue threatens to start shooting one passenger per minute unless the gang receive a million dollars in cash from the city within an hour.

On the other end of the dispatch line is Zachary Garber (a lovably rumpled Walter Matthau, Charley Varrick), a world-weary veteran transit policeman.

As the New York mayor's office and Garber's hotheaded fellow cops scramble to comply with the criminals' demands, Garber tries to uncover the identities of the hijackers, as well as how they plan to escape the subway tunnels.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three was a major inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, another claustrophobic thriller which features members of a criminal gang using colours as their aliases.

Also in 2009, the 1974 flick got a decent remake starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta. This is one of those cases, however, where the original is far better than any imitators.

The performances are fantastic (including Martin Balsam as Mr Blue's slightly more conflicted accomplice, Mr Green). All of the characters and their New York environment feel real and lived-in. The dialogue absolutely crackles. And the final moments of the movie are oh so satisfying.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is airing on TV tonight/tomorrow morning on RTÉ One at 12.20am. The film is also available to rent on Apple TV, Google Play, Prime Video and the Sky Store.

Here are the other movies airing on TV tonight:

Men in Black - Sky One - 8pm

Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith headline this classic sci-fi action comedy about aliens hiding on Earth in plain sight.

Force 10 from Navarone - ITV4 - 8.10pm

Edward Fox, Harrison Ford and Robert Shaw (again) star in this 1978 sequel to the classic war film The Guns of Navarone.

The Miracle Club - BBC Two - 8.30pm

The 2023 Irish comedy-drama sees Laura Linney, Kathy Bates and Maggie Smith play a group of working-class women from 1960s Dublin who go on a pilgrimage to Lourdes.

The Equalizer - Channel 4 - 9pm

The extremely watchable Denzel Washington action thriller that launched a trilogy.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle - Film4 - 9pm

The disappointing sequel to the very fun action spy comedy, Kingsman: The Secret Service.

The Longest Yard - Comedy Central - 9pm

Adam Sandler stars in this sports comedy remake.

S.W.A.T. - Legend - 9pm

Colin Farrell and Samuel L. Jackson headline this action thriller, which reboots a '70s cop drama.

The Hitcher / Wanted: Dead or Alive - Legend Xtra - 9pm / 11pm

An '80s Rutger Hauer double bill.

Needful Things - Sky Sci-Fi - 10pm

A decent, creepy '90s adaptation of a Stephen King novel.

Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde - TG4 - 10pm

The Reese Witherspoon-led comedy sequel.

Hypnotic - RTÉ2 - 11.05pm

Ben Affleck stars in this mind-bending, if convoluted, 2023 mystery action thriller as a cop investigating a mysterious heist.

Chaos - Legend - 11.25pm

A forgettable crime thriller with Jason Statham, Ryan Phillippe and Wesley Snipes.

Oblivion - Channel 4 - 11.40pm

Tom Cruise stars in this stylish 2013 sci-fi flick about a repairman living in a future post-apocalyptic Earth who makes a startling discovery.

Chopper - Film4 - 11.50pm

In this excellent 2000 crime drama, Eric Bana plays Mark "Chopper" Read, the notorious Australian criminal turned writer.

Road House - BBC One - 11.50pm

The Patrick Swayze-led '80s cult classic action flick in which club bouncers are treated like wandering rōnin.

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