The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

What if we made a heist movie but everyone was bumbling and greasy and cramped and you didn't really like them but they all worked together in the end? Would it make you love New York?

I was so primed to love this movie by ringing endorsements from critics but ultimately it fell flat for me. The racism both from the characters and from the writers grated on me too much. I appreciated the tension-building throughout, and of course the ending shot will ring in my head, but it all felt a bit wasted on characters I didn't like.

I did love how the dialogue always overflowed the scene at hand. Every character had a line relevant to the plot and also mentioned part of the world outside the plot, so that the story felt very full and realistic.