Dorathen
Better Late Then Never
SparkMore
n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.
Stephanie
There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
Lugo1989
The Incident is a must-see for every film buff. The story and the setting are very simple. The black and white photography looks really good and emphasises the gritty nature of night-time New York streets and the film itself. The performances are fantastic. You will see many familiar faces making their debut here. The main reason this film will never age is the fact that if you would put the exact same scenario in present times, things would not have played out much differently. The two thugs terrorising passangers on a subway train with everyone afraid to stand up and quickly put an end to the ordeal. Everyone for themselves. If it does not happen to me, I will be fine, I do not want to be involved and get myself into trouble. Sure some people speak up but their efforts are fast suppressed by the aggressors - too fast. It is a kind of social experiment in a way. How long does it take for people to reach their boiling point. The only reason that I have rated this 9/10 instead of 10/10 is that the set-up is quite long. It takes about 50 minutes before the subway train nightmare begins. But at least we get to know the thorough background of the characters. After that, The Incident kicks into top gear and the thrill ride with great suspense, acting and dialogue begins. Highly recommended.
suldog
I'm a subway buff. Love underground/elevated trains, stations, etc., and am especially fond of the NYC subway. This is the best subway movie ever made.(I know - some folks will reference "The Taking Of Pelham 123", in one or another of its versions, as being better, and it certainly is fine, but this is better. Just my opinion.) What truly blows me away about the making of this film is that NYC Transit would not allow the filmmakers to shoot, but they did, anyway. The hid cameras in bags and just went ahead and shot without permission. Then they had a NYC subway car interior built for them by the original manufacturer, for the interior scenes. So, perfect realism in all aspects of the scenery.OK, the plot. Marvelous. Two punks terrorize a train full of passengers during the late night/early morning hours. This continues until one of the passengers (I won't tell you which one) finally stands up to them. While the punks are basically abhorrent, they occasionally do something to one or another of the passengers that perhaps makes you believe that they might begin to behave reasonably. Then they don't go in the direction you might wish. They do something even more reprehensible, and that's how the tension is kept razor sharp.Acting? Superb all around. Tony Musante is especially good as one of the punks, as menacing as any character in the history of motion pictures. Hell, just his look is enough to make most of the passengers back off. Martin Sheen, as his buddy, looks more reasonable, but is actually pretty much as vicious. Among the passengers, Beau Bridges is great as a soldier on leave. Another great performance comes from Mike Kellin as the henpecked husband of Jan Sterling. Very surprisingly good dramatic performance from Ed McMahon (!) as parent of a young girl.The ending is both satisfying and sad. We see the punks get some payback, but the hero is never thanked, never given anything even close to what he deserves. Lives have been changed - some irrevocably - but one is also left with the feeling that some of these characters are so into self-denial that they will be just fine with everything in a few days.Fine time capsule of the time period - the 1960's - and of the subway at that time.Highly recommended, even if you're NOT a subway buff.
Lee Novak
The Incident: The ACTUAL "Bad Guys" OF the film are NOT Tony Musante or Martin Sheen,but the Pairs of High-Hatting subway passengers,who are "Shown the door" BY the Criminals who don't let them OUT! The only real Good Guy was the Beau Bridges Character Felix Tuppinger,the Convalescing Army Soldier.When the film ends,the "Victims" go BACK to their own Lives and Character disorders we have already seen.This film got NO or very little help from the NYC MTA,and the Subway scenes were shot at the Biograph studios in the Bronx,on a sound stage with a Roofless Subway car mock-up. I LOVE the incident,and I understand it was originally a play,written from a book,however this film was made earlier in 1960 as a WESTERN called:The Plunderers Starring Jeff Chandler as the "One Armed Civil War Soldier",which evolved into the Beau Bridges role. In THAT movie it was a GROUP of Young Punks taking over a Western town. Check out that movie and see the Similarities.
MarieGabrielle
This is a film rarely shown on cable; good performances all around (especially a very young Martin Sheen). Ruby Dee, Mike Kellin, Jack Gilford and Thelma Ritter as the older couple, a very young Donna Mills and even Ed McMahon as an irate father, traveling home on the subway with his young wife and child, at 2 A.M.This film was made during a time in NYC when crime was on the uprise, the mayor (Mayor Lindsey) was not in control, and people were seeing a general downturn in their quality of life. There were still racial tensions, even in NYC, at that time.The mood is set as people are traveling home late, and two men (Martin Sheen and Tony Musante), enter the subway car; initially harassing a bum, then gradually moving to other passengers.There is some suspension of disbelief required. One could have gotten out of the subway car, certainly by fighting back. Some of the scenes are upsetting, as when Sheen is harassing the older woman, who finally stands up to him.This film was made at the same time as the Kitty Genovese incident in Kew Gardens, NY. A metro area where many witnesses heard Genovese screaming for her life,as she was being murdered and yet denied being witnesses. It shows the effect of fear and paralysis when people are confronted with criminal behavior.
