Character

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I saw the Taking of Pelham 123 this afternoon with some friends. The movie is as much about character as it is violence and the f-bomb. If you can get past the latter two, the character part is good.

Walter Garber is a man who has come up the ranks in the subway control department of NYC. He started at the bottom and worked his way to the top, only to be brought down several notches when he was accused of accepting a bribe. The beginning of the movie shows him cheerfully at his job, accepting his assignment - low-man-on-the-totem-pole subway traffic director-guy (if you want the actual titles, watch the movie).

Through the process of getting caught up in a hostage negotiation, you see this man selflessly put himself and his pride on the line for the lives of others. He shows respect to an antagonistic boss and to the sad, hopelessly lost villain. He comes clean on his past mistakes when the lives of others depend on it. He shows care and concern and involvement with his family and his wife. He is willing to do the right thing throughout the drama, even to the end where he hesitates until the last possible second to take the villain down, in hopes of not taking the villain’s life. Mostly, you see him willing to accept what comes his direction – accepting it with grace, humility and candor, showing respect to every individual around him. In the end, all this earned him the respect of everyone involved; you may go so far as to say, even the respect of the villain.