12 Memorable Subway Scenes in Movies
Living in Manhattan, I take the subway to and from work five days a week. The subway is the most economical and efficient way for me to travel, but I’m still not a big fan due to how cramped and miserable the ride often is. You’ve got mutants with boils all over their faces standing practically on top of you and breathing in your face, you have to listen to the crappy R&B music playing at deafening levels on some idiot’s headphones, and you’ve got to deal with three guys totally butchering “Feliz Navidad” for money. If you’re really lucky, you may get a homeless guy in the subway car, fast asleep with his pants around his ankles and piss all over the seats. Yeah.
It isn’t like that in the movies, though. In the movies, remarkable, life-altering things go down on the subway. Fights, aliens, and sex (of course) are regular occurrences on the subways and in the subway stations of cinema.
The Matrix
There are actually a few subway scenes throughout the Matrix movies, but none are as cool as the original Neo/Smith fight.
The Warriors
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5zsDJPnsp0
The opening credits give you a good idea at how run-down and dangerous the New York subways were at one point.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9PInQY5Pco
Here’s the ending to the original version of this movie, starring Walter Matthau.
Adventures in Babysitting
Probably my favorite scene out of all of these. Elizabeth Shue is criminally adorable.
Step Up 2 The Streets
Maybe dance movies aren’t your thing (I happen to love them), but you have to admit that these moves are pretty insane.
Midnight Meat Train
I couldn’t embed the video, but you can click through to watch it. It’s totally worth it, especially if you’re into gore.
After Hours
A pretty funny scene from Martin Scorsese’s movie about a guy who is having the worst night imaginable.
Final Destination 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-sIIfxC3xc
This isn’t in English, but it’s the best quality video I could find for this scene. Besides, you’re not watching for the dialogue, are you?
Spider-Man 2
A pretty sweet fight – if you can ignore the fact that Spidey and Dock Ock are blatantly CGI-ed – but the best part is the citizens of New York rallying around Spider-Man.
Knowing
I guess this train was an express. Ha! High five? No? Ah well.
Hellboy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACLA3KERCko
I love me some big, charming Ron Perlman. Those creatures might actually be a step up from the dudes who listen to crappy music on their headphones at like a jillion decibels.
Cloverfield
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-GKHzRcbAM
Just the thought of trekking through abandoned, dark subway tunnels freaks me out, and that’s without giant parasites down there.
I unfortunately couldn’t find a few subway scenes that really stick out in my mind – like when the Predator in Predator 2 drops into a subway car and kills everyone, including a golf ball-wielding Bill Paxton. I also would have liked to included the final scene from King of New York, but alas, I could not embed it (I stuck Meat Train in there because it was too good to omit).
Any subway scenes you remember that I didn’t include? I am sure there must be quite a few…
How about the insane subway scene in the abomination we call Highlander 2?
Watching Michael Ironside with long hair ham it up with quick cuts and insane music while driving a subway 10 times faster than it is capable of going? Yes please.
Absolutely! I actually found this page by asking Google in which movie Michael Ironside drove a subway car, and was surprised to find the answer in this (Kevin’s) comment rather than in the article!
Little bit of humor (very little) in closing ᎓ when I came to this page I immediately did a string search for “Ironside”, before really looking at the page . . . and for the next 2 seconds I was like “Kevin”? Michael Ironside did a movie called “Kevin”? 🙂
@ Kevin
See, these are precisely the types of scenes I’m talking about. Well done.
Dunno if they’re so memorable but i thought of The Fugitive (with the Janitor on board!) and Collateral.
Also the scene in Death Wish where two subway muggers try to rob Charles Bronson.
And even though it’s not perhaps technically a real subway scene, I think the car chase scene in French Connection is awesome.
@ fluffy
Those are good ones, especially Collateral. I love how Vincent would slowly advance on his targets and hang out in between the subway car and platform during every stop to prevent them from escaping.
What about the “I have no legs” scene from the movie Kids? Not as action-packed as some of these, but certainly memorable.
@ BrockSamson
VERY memorable, yes. What a screwed up movie…I haven’t seen it in years, but it still stays with me.
lots of movies come to mind immediately:
First of all Speed.
V for Vendetta bomb train.
Then Ghost Busters 2.
Planet of the apes when Charlton Hesten finds the talking doll.
Then the Pradator in the Train ^^
The italian Job small car chasing scene.
I like the scene with the bummer from Ghost where Patrick Swayze learns how to move things.
I was gonna say The Third Man but back then vienna had no subway.
@ Lagrange
All good picks. I really tried so hard to find the Predator clip…
When I saw the title of this post, the first scene I thought of was Adventures in Babysitting. I love that movie. Don’t f*** with the babysitter. I’ve wanted to say that to little brats that I have had the “pleasure” to babysit over the years. It really shocked me how not that many of my friends have seen that movie. Growing up that was a go-to film to watch over and over again.
No Green Street Hooligans?
I can’t stop laughing about your vision of the city’s subway system. The boils on the face and idiots blasting their music. Hilarious!
What about from the movie ‘Kids’ with the homeless guy on the skateboard.
“I have no legs, I have no legs. I have no legs, I have no legs”.
Creep? The whole movie is subway haha (not great I admit but I’m sure there it’s memorable).
Doesn’t anyone remember Rebecca Demornay in Risky Business ? That whole scene was burned into my brain as a 12 yr old & fed my fantasies for life. Easily beats all of these scenes mentioned.
@ metal4pg
Of course I considered it…until I realized it was on a train, not the subway. Check the scene, you’ll see.
What about the end of Resident Evil? Couldn’t that be considered a subway? It is under ground. It is a train. I highly doubt it would be in the public transportation system though. Eh.
I was suprised to see the subway scene from the Untouchables on here ?
Oh wait, maybe that was a train station…
where was Creep?