Overview
A terrifying journey through the dark underbelly of New York City, where fear reigns supreme.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- oppressive
- tense
- melodramatic
- classic crime night
- urban thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a forceful, tightly focused crime melodrama whose claustrophobic premise and performances overcome some schematic characterization and repetitive plotting.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Most of the drama unfolds among passengers trapped aboard an increasingly threatening late-night subway train.
Passengers focus on their own problems and humiliations while two hoodlums terrorize the group.
The black-and-white New York subway setting creates a stark, confined atmosphere for the escalating intimidation.
The passenger group includes Black characters and racial slurs are identified as part of the film's conflict.
Films like The Incident, and why
Assault on Precinct 13
claustrophobic urban crime thriller centered on strangers trapped in a confined public space
Do the Right Thing
ensemble social drama exposing racial tension, prejudice, and moral cowardice through escalating confrontation
The Naked City
black-and-white crime drama using a pressured urban environment to examine group behavior and social prejudice
Movie Details
- Director
- Larry Peerce
- Release Date
- 1967-11-05
- Runtime
- 99 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (88)
Cast
- Tony Musante
- Martin Sheen
- Beau Bridges
- Brock Peters
- Ruby Dee
- Jack Gilford
- Thelma Ritter
- Ed McMahon
- Diana Van der Vlis
- Mike Kellin
Common questions
- What is The Incident about?
- Two violent hoodlums turn a late-night New York subway car into a moving test of fear, prejudice, and collective courage.
- What is The Incident like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Incident as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Incident violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Incident as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Incident?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a forceful, tightly focused crime melodrama whose claustrophobic premise and performances overcome some schematic characterization and repetitive plotting.
- Which films are like The Incident?
- Films with a similar feel include Assault on Precinct 13, Do the Right Thing, and The Naked City.
- How long is The Incident?
- The Incident runs 99 minutes.
