Money Train
Encyclopedia
Money Train is a 1995
American comedy
thriller film starring Wesley Snipes
, Woody Harrelson
and Jennifer Lopez
as New York City transit cops
. After losing his job, Harrelson's character plots to hijack and then rob the "money train
" which hauls collected fare revenues for the New York City Subway
from the system's stations.
with two foster brothers John (Wesley Snipes
) and Charlie (Woody Harrelson
) who work as transit cops, patrolling a subway in New York City. When a mugging occurs, and John and Charlie chase the mugger into the subway tunnel, all trains traveling in their direction are halted. But the harsh transit captain Donald Patterson (Robert Blake
), allows the money train (a high dense single steel rail car designed to deliver the money from every station to the central command centre) to continue stating "nothing stops the money train". John and Charlie survive getting hit by the train, however when the transit police at the next station witness the mugger running to the train, they shoot the mugger dead thinking the incident to be a robbery. The mugger is revealed to be a young teenage boy, which creates a brawl between John, Charlie, and the other transit offices, so as a result Patterson blames to the two for causing his money train to arrive late taking it as a personnal sign of disrespect.
After leaving the station, Charlie askes John to borrow some money in order to by him a Christmas present
. When John accepts, Charlie instead uses the money to pay off his gambling debts to the sleazy night club owner Mr. Brown. When the deal does not go as planned, Mr. Brown intends to have Charlie killed by throwing him off the edge of the building, but John bursts in and interrupts the process. John tells Mr. Brown that he has the money for him that Charlie already owes him, but Mr. Brown reveals to John thats Charlie is in $15,000 in debt. John makes an agreement to have the money delivered to him within serval days and to pay Mr. Brown the $300 he has brought, but have no harm done to Charlie. Mr. Brown accepts and lets Charlie live. During there night shift, John and Charlie are introduced to Grace Santiago (Jennifer Lopez
), a decoy transit officer just assigned to their unit who both brothers immediately take a liking to. During their patrol, a serial killer known as the Torch (Chris Cooper
) robs a station paybooth, then sets it on fire after spraying it with gasoline. John and Charlie both rescue the paybooth worker and put out the fire, but the Torch manages to escape.
Afterwards John, Charlie, and Clair take the rest of the afternoon off at the local bar, where Charlie reveals his plan to rob the money train in order to pay off their debts. John does not agree with the situation, saying it to be impossible. Later that night, the two brothers and Clair are assigned to patrol the money train which the other offices do not feel comfortable with. While Charlie discovers a metal grate in the floor along with a ladder leading out to Central Park, a brawl breaks out between John and another officer over who was standing in his position, causing the entire squad getting involved. Patterson again blames the two for the incident and also rudely accuses them for the loss of some money when the train arrived, but even after it is found that a collection agent miscounted the money, Patterson still continues to be harsh towards them. At the local bar, Charlie tells John that robbing the money train would still work and that the best time would be on New Year's Eve
, not only because the subway security will be loosened, but it is the time when the subway makes highest profit during the year: up to $500,000. The plan involves entering the train through the metal grate when the train has stopped, driving it to the maintenance ladder, and escaping into Central Park. Now convinced, John argrees to go with the plan, then later sees Clair dancing in the back ally where two agree to share a dance.
subway car. The rolling stock was modified by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
and film crew into an imposing subway train covered in silver armor plating and equipped with flashing orange lights and sliding barred doors, like those on a jail cell. After production, the car was donated to the New York Transit Museum
, and is currently stored at the Coney Island Complex, as of February 2010. The actual money train resembled a normal maintenance train painted yellow with black diagonal stripes. The New York City subway system retired its money trains in 2006; the introduction of the MetroCard and computerized vending machines that allowed fare payment by credit card have dramatically reduced the number of coins stored in subway stations.
box office, including $10,608,297 on its opening weekend. With a budget at an estimated $68,000,000, the film was a huge box office bomb
. It was generally poorly received by film critics, described by one reviewer as "a loud and truly pointless action-comedy". Rotten Tomatoes
gave the film a "Rotten" rating of 17%.
In addition to its middling reviews, the film was vilified for its portrayal of a man robbing a ticket booth by running a rubber tube around the bulletproof partition and dousing the attendant with an unknown flammable liquid, then threatening to set them on fire. This crime was repeated in real life after the film's release, although the police did not think the similar crime was related to the film. Nevertheless, many people including Bob Dole
called for a boycott of the film.
1995 in film
-Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation....
American comedy
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
thriller film starring Wesley Snipes
Wesley Snipes
Wesley Trent Snipes is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist, who has starred in numerous action films, thrillers, and dramatic feature films. Snipes is known for playing the Marvel Comics character Blade in the Blade film trilogy, among various other high profile roles...
, Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson
Woodrow Tracy "Woody" Harrelson is an American actor.Harrelson's breakthrough role came in the television sitcom Cheers as bartender Woody Boyd...
and Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
as New York City transit cops
New York City Transit Police
The New York City Transit Police Department was a law enforcement agency in New York City that existed from 1953 to 1995. The roots of this organization go back to 1936 when Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia authorized the hiring of Special Patrolmen for the New York City Subway system...
. After losing his job, Harrelson's character plots to hijack and then rob the "money train
Money train
A money train is one or more railcars used to collect fare collection revenue from stations on a subway system and return it to a central location for processing. This train is typically used to carry money bags guarded by transit police to deter robberies....
" which hauls collected fare revenues for the New York City Subway
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
from the system's stations.
Plot
The story begins on ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
with two foster brothers John (Wesley Snipes
Wesley Snipes
Wesley Trent Snipes is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist, who has starred in numerous action films, thrillers, and dramatic feature films. Snipes is known for playing the Marvel Comics character Blade in the Blade film trilogy, among various other high profile roles...
) and Charlie (Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson
Woodrow Tracy "Woody" Harrelson is an American actor.Harrelson's breakthrough role came in the television sitcom Cheers as bartender Woody Boyd...
) who work as transit cops, patrolling a subway in New York City. When a mugging occurs, and John and Charlie chase the mugger into the subway tunnel, all trains traveling in their direction are halted. But the harsh transit captain Donald Patterson (Robert Blake
Robert Blake (actor)
Robert Blake is an American actor who starred in the film In Cold Blood and the U.S. television series Baretta. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted for the 2001 murder of his wife, but on November 18, 2005, Blake was found liable in a California civil court for her wrongful death.-Early...
), allows the money train (a high dense single steel rail car designed to deliver the money from every station to the central command centre) to continue stating "nothing stops the money train". John and Charlie survive getting hit by the train, however when the transit police at the next station witness the mugger running to the train, they shoot the mugger dead thinking the incident to be a robbery. The mugger is revealed to be a young teenage boy, which creates a brawl between John, Charlie, and the other transit offices, so as a result Patterson blames to the two for causing his money train to arrive late taking it as a personnal sign of disrespect.
After leaving the station, Charlie askes John to borrow some money in order to by him a Christmas present
Christmas Present
- References :*...
. When John accepts, Charlie instead uses the money to pay off his gambling debts to the sleazy night club owner Mr. Brown. When the deal does not go as planned, Mr. Brown intends to have Charlie killed by throwing him off the edge of the building, but John bursts in and interrupts the process. John tells Mr. Brown that he has the money for him that Charlie already owes him, but Mr. Brown reveals to John thats Charlie is in $15,000 in debt. John makes an agreement to have the money delivered to him within serval days and to pay Mr. Brown the $300 he has brought, but have no harm done to Charlie. Mr. Brown accepts and lets Charlie live. During there night shift, John and Charlie are introduced to Grace Santiago (Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
), a decoy transit officer just assigned to their unit who both brothers immediately take a liking to. During their patrol, a serial killer known as the Torch (Chris Cooper
Chris Cooper (actor)
Christopher W. "Chris" Cooper is an American film actor. He became well known in the late 1990s. He has appeared in supporting performances in several major Hollywood films, including The Bourne Identity, American Beauty, Capote, The Town, The Kingdom, Syriana, October Sky, Seabiscuit, and...
) robs a station paybooth, then sets it on fire after spraying it with gasoline. John and Charlie both rescue the paybooth worker and put out the fire, but the Torch manages to escape.
Afterwards John, Charlie, and Clair take the rest of the afternoon off at the local bar, where Charlie reveals his plan to rob the money train in order to pay off their debts. John does not agree with the situation, saying it to be impossible. Later that night, the two brothers and Clair are assigned to patrol the money train which the other offices do not feel comfortable with. While Charlie discovers a metal grate in the floor along with a ladder leading out to Central Park, a brawl breaks out between John and another officer over who was standing in his position, causing the entire squad getting involved. Patterson again blames the two for the incident and also rudely accuses them for the loss of some money when the train arrived, but even after it is found that a collection agent miscounted the money, Patterson still continues to be harsh towards them. At the local bar, Charlie tells John that robbing the money train would still work and that the best time would be on New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
, not only because the subway security will be loosened, but it is the time when the subway makes highest profit during the year: up to $500,000. The plan involves entering the train through the metal grate when the train has stopped, driving it to the maintenance ladder, and escaping into Central Park. Now convinced, John argrees to go with the plan, then later sees Clair dancing in the back ally where two agree to share a dance.
Production
The subway car used as the money train in the film is a modified R22R22 (New York City Subway car)
The R22 was a New York City Subway car built in 1957 for the IRT division. They were the last single cars built prior to the R33 World's Fairs in 1963-4. The last R22s were retired on December 30, 1987 with the last run being on the with a solid consist of R21/R22 cars...
subway car. The rolling stock was modified by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the U.S...
and film crew into an imposing subway train covered in silver armor plating and equipped with flashing orange lights and sliding barred doors, like those on a jail cell. After production, the car was donated to the New York Transit Museum
New York Transit Museum
The New York Transit Museum is a museum which displays historical artifacts of the New York City Subway, bus, commuter rail, and bridge and tunnel systems; it is located in a decommissioned Court Street subway station in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of New York City...
, and is currently stored at the Coney Island Complex, as of February 2010. The actual money train resembled a normal maintenance train painted yellow with black diagonal stripes. The New York City subway system retired its money trains in 2006; the introduction of the MetroCard and computerized vending machines that allowed fare payment by credit card have dramatically reduced the number of coins stored in subway stations.
Reception
The film took in $35,431,113 at the North AmericanNorth American
North American generally refers to an entity, people, group, or attribute of North America, especially of the United States and Canada together.-Culture:*North American English, a collective term used to describe American English and Canadian English...
box office, including $10,608,297 on its opening weekend. With a budget at an estimated $68,000,000, the film was a huge box office bomb
Box office bomb
The phrase box office bomb refers to a film for which the production and marketing costs greatly exceeded the revenue regained by the movie studio. This should not be confused with Hollywood accounting when official figures show large losses, yet the movie is a financial success.A film's financial...
. It was generally poorly received by film critics, described by one reviewer as "a loud and truly pointless action-comedy". Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gave the film a "Rotten" rating of 17%.
In addition to its middling reviews, the film was vilified for its portrayal of a man robbing a ticket booth by running a rubber tube around the bulletproof partition and dousing the attendant with an unknown flammable liquid, then threatening to set them on fire. This crime was repeated in real life after the film's release, although the police did not think the similar crime was related to the film. Nevertheless, many people including Bob Dole
Bob Dole
Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
called for a boycott of the film.
Cast
- Wesley SnipesWesley SnipesWesley Trent Snipes is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist, who has starred in numerous action films, thrillers, and dramatic feature films. Snipes is known for playing the Marvel Comics character Blade in the Blade film trilogy, among various other high profile roles...
- John - Woody HarrelsonWoody HarrelsonWoodrow Tracy "Woody" Harrelson is an American actor.Harrelson's breakthrough role came in the television sitcom Cheers as bartender Woody Boyd...
- Charlie - Jennifer LopezJennifer LopezJennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
- Grace Santiago - Robert BlakeRobert Blake (actor)Robert Blake is an American actor who starred in the film In Cold Blood and the U.S. television series Baretta. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted for the 2001 murder of his wife, but on November 18, 2005, Blake was found liable in a California civil court for her wrongful death.-Early...
- Donald Patterson - Chris CooperChris Cooper (actor)Christopher W. "Chris" Cooper is an American film actor. He became well known in the late 1990s. He has appeared in supporting performances in several major Hollywood films, including The Bourne Identity, American Beauty, Capote, The Town, The Kingdom, Syriana, October Sky, Seabiscuit, and...
- Torch - Joe GrifasiJoe GrifasiJoseph G. "Joe" Grifasi is an American character actor of film, stage and television.Grifasi was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Patricia and Joseph J. Grifasi, a skilled laborer. Grifasi graduated from Bishop Fallon High School, a now defunct Catholic high school in Buffalo. He played...
- Riley - Scott SowersScott SowersScott Sowers is an American actor.He appeared in the 1995 film Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, and has played detectives and police officers in various television series, including Cracker, where he played Detective Parker from 1997 to 1999. He appeared in A Season for Miracles and Law & Order:...
- Mr. Brown - Skipp SudduthSkipp SudduthRobert Lee Sudduth IV , generally known by his stage name Skipp Sudduth, is an American theater, film, and TV actor. Sudduth is perhaps best known for his role in the movie Ronin and his lead in the TV drama Third Watch....
- Kowalski