The Incident (1967)

At almost 3 A.M. in the morning, a New York subway car full of passengers is terrorized by two thugs (Martin Sheen, Tony Musante). The passengers include an old couple (Thelma Ritter, Jack Gilford), an unhappily married couple (Jan Sterling, Mike Kellin), two soldiers (Beau Bridges, Robert Bannard), a black couple (Ruby Dee, Brock Peters), a suburban couple (Ed McMahon, Diana Van Der Vlis), a recovering alcoholic (Gary Merrill), a man (Robert Fields) who may or may not be gay and a stud (Victor Arnold) on a date with a virgin (Donna Mills). Directed by Larry Peerce (GOODBYE COLUMBUS), the film is based on a TV play called RIDE WITH TERROR from 1963 with Musante recreating his TV role. It's a heavy handed "allegory" that plays out like a play. The thugs terrorize and humiliate the passengers in turn while the passengers watch the others being terrorized waiting their turn like good little victims. Finally, one of them has had enough and stands up to them but one can't help but think that there are 14 passengers and 2 thugs and why didn't they stand together and kick hoodlum butt? Well, of course, there would be no movie then, would there? A little too self important for me but outside of the exaggerated performances of Musante and Sheen, the rest of the cast is pretty good.