Money Train: Snipes & Harrelson Rob Nyc Subway

“Money Train” is a 1995 action comedy film, it stars Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson as foster brothers, they work as transit cops. “Money Train” plot involves their plan to rob the New York City Subway‘s money train. “Money Train”‘s intense and gritty atmosphere bears a resemblance to “The Shield”.

Ever find yourself channel-surfing and landing on two completely different movies or shows, thinking, “These have absolutely nothing in common”? Well, buckle up, because we’re about to pull a magician’s trick and reveal some surprising connections.

Think about the high-octane, somewhat goofy world of Money Train (1995), where Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson play transit cops dreaming of hitting the jackpot. It’s a 90’s action-comedy romp, full of explosions and wisecracks. Now, switch gears to the grim and gritty streets of Farmington, California, where The Shield (2002-2008) throws us headfirst into the lives of Vic Mackey and his Strike Team—a group of cops who bend the rules so far they practically snap them in half. A lighthearted action film vs. a dark, morally ambiguous police procedural – seemingly worlds apart, right?

But here’s the million-dollar question: Can a lighthearted action film and a dark, morally ambiguous cop show actually have something in common? Can there be anything similar between Money Train and The Shield, and will there be something similar with their world?

Prepare to have your mind blown. Despite their surface-level differences, Money Train and The Shield share surprising similarities in their exploration of moral complexities, character dynamics shaped by loyalty and corruption, and the consequences of operating outside the lines of the law. This blog post will delve into these connections, revealing the unexpected parallels between these two seemingly disparate productions. Get ready to see these stories in a whole new light! We are going to delve deep into these connections to find the unexpected parallels between these two seemingly disparate productions.

Meet the Crews: From Transit Authority to Strike Team

Alright, buckle up, buttercups! Before we dive headfirst into the glorious mess of shared themes, we gotta introduce you to the players. Think of this as your program before the double feature – gotta know who’s who to appreciate the mayhem. We’re laying down just enough context to get you acquainted, without spoiling all the juicy bits!

Money Train’s Transit Cops: Partners in Crime (and Comedy)

First stop, the New York City subway with our dynamic duo from Money Train:

• John Torre (Wesley Snipes): The level-headed one. John is driven by a desire to escape the grind and provide a better life, but he’s not willing to sacrifice his morals… usually. His bond with Charlie is the bedrock of the film, even when their greed threatens to derail it all. He’s the responsible one!
• Charlie Robinson (Woody Harrelson): Ah, Charlie, the wildcard. Impulsive, hilarious, and a magnet for trouble. His gambling debts and harebrained schemes constantly put him and John in hot water. But beneath the comedy, there’s a fierce loyalty to John, making their partnership both chaotic and heartwarming (in a twisted sort of way).
• Donald Patterson (Robert Blake): The quintessential hard-nosed boss, Patterson is a stickler for the rules… unless it benefits him. His relationship with John and Charlie is strained by their antics, but there’s a begrudging respect, and he does have a soft spot for John.
• Grace Trainor (Jennifer Lopez): A fellow officer who captures both John and Charlie’s attention, adding a romantic angle.
• Torch (Chris Cooper): The pyromaniac ex-employee seeking revenge on the Transit Authority.

The Shield’s Strike Team: Where Justice Gets Dirty

Now, we’re headed to Farmington, CA, where things get a whole lot darker with The Shield’s Strike Team:

• Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis): The leader, the legend, the antihero. Vic Mackey operates by his own code, believing the ends justify the means. He’s a master manipulator, fiercely protective of his team, and utterly convinced he’s making his community safer… even as he breaks every rule in the book. Is he a good cop, gone bad? or bad cop, gone great? Vic Mackey is definitely not your everyday hero.
• Shane Vendrell (Walton Goggins): The loose cannon. Shane is fiercely loyal to Vic but plagued by impulsiveness and a growing paranoia. His descent into darkness is a tragic arc, fueled by his desire to prove himself and his inability to escape Vic’s shadow. His loyalty is very strong and has consequences that is a dangerous trait.
• Curtis Lemansky (Kenny Johnson): The conscience of the team. Lemansky, often called “Lem”, struggles with the Strike Team’s methods, torn between his loyalty to his brothers and his own moral compass. His tragic fate serves as a stark reminder of the price of corruption. The most moral of the group that has some very serious consequences for him.
• Ronnie Gardocki (Michael Jace): The muscle, the pragmatist. Ronnie is Vic’s right-hand man, unflinchingly loyal and willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. He’s the quiet one, but his actions speak volumes.
• Claudette Wyms (CCH Pounder): The captain, the voice of reason. Claudette is determined to clean up the Barn and hold the Strike Team accountable, but she faces an uphill battle against the deeply ingrained corruption and Vic’s cunning. She is a strong and a moral compass for the police station.
• Julien Lowe (Jon Seda): A moral officer, struggling with his sexuality, is torn between his faith and his duty as a police officer, adding another layer of complexity to the precinct’s dynamic.

A Tangled Web: Exploring Shared Thematic Territory

Alright, buckle up, because this is where things get interesting. We’re diving deep into the murky waters of shared themes, those common threads that tie Money Train and The Shield together, despite their vastly different vibes. Get ready to see how these stories, in their own unique ways, hold up a mirror to some pretty uncomfortable truths about right and wrong, loyalty and betrayal, and the high cost of doing business on the wrong side of the law.

Police Corruption: Bending the Rules (or Breaking Them Entirely)

Let’s face it, clean cops make for boring stories. Both Money Train and The Shield understand this implicitly.

• Money Train: It’s not all high-stakes heists. We see John and Charlie engaging in petty theft, skimming off fares, and generally turning a blind eye to the general underhandedness that permeates the transit authority. It’s corruption on a smaller scale, sure, but it sets the stage.
• The Shield: Now, The Shield takes corruption to an entirely different level. The Strike Team’s “ends justify the means” approach leads them down a rabbit hole of excessive force, evidence tampering, and outright murder. The long-term consequences? Devastating, both for themselves and the community they swore to protect. Vic Mackey believes he is protecting the people by any means necessary, But at what cost?

Brotherhood and Loyalty: Ride or Die?

What is more important family or friend?

• Money Train: The bond between John and Charlie is the heart of Money Train. These aren’t just colleagues, they’re almost brothers, right? Their loyalty is tested when greed and desperation enter the picture. How much are they willing to risk for each other, and for a shot at the big time? The film answers this with a surprising conclusion when the bond of friendship shows its true colors.
• The Shield: The Strike Team is presented as an almost brother-like unity. The camaraderie and shared history create a powerful sense of loyalty. However, as the series progresses, alliances shift, cracks appear, and eventually, the brotherhood is shattered by betrayal. The price of loyalty becomes exceedingly and terrifyingly expensive.

Moral Ambiguity: The Gray Areas of Right and Wrong

Sometimes, there are more than two paths, and sometimes none of those paths will lead you anywhere good.

• Money Train: The characters’ choices are driven by a desire for a better life, leading them to justify their actions and blur the lines between right and wrong. The money train heist itself becomes a symbol of this moral compromise: is the potential reward worth the risk of losing everything, including their own souls?
• The Shield: The Shield thrives on moral ambiguity. Vic Mackey, in particular, embodies this theme, operating in a gray area where the ends justify the means. But is he really making the streets safer, or is he just creating more chaos and suffering? This is the question that haunts the show throughout its run. Is anything permissible in the name of justice?

Consequences of Actions: Paying the Price

In the world of crime and cops, actions have consequences, whether legal or personal.

• Both productions show the characters facing the repercussions of their choices. The consequences of operating outside the law are heavy: legal ramifications, broken relationships, and the ever-present threat of violence. Both narratives explore the cyclical nature of violence and corruption, showing how one bad decision can lead to a cascade of even worse ones.

Additional Themes

• Vigilante Justice (The Shield): Vic Mackey’s brand of justice is often extrajudicial, blurring the lines between law enforcement and vigilantism.
• Greed (Money Train): The lure of easy money and the desire for a better life drive the characters’ actions, leading them down a dangerous path.
• The Prevalence of Crime and Its Impact on Society (Both Productions): Both Money Train and The Shield offer glimpses into the dark underbelly of urban life, highlighting the pervasiveness of crime and its impact on communities.

Setting the Stage: The Urban Landscapes of Money Train and The Shield

Okay, so we’ve got our characters, we’ve got our themes… now let’s talk real estate! Or, you know, movie estate. Because where a story happens is almost as important as who it happens to, right?

Both Money Train and The Shield are deeply rooted in their settings, and those settings aren’t just pretty backdrops. They’re practically characters themselves, influencing everything from the plot to the protagonists’ mental states.

New York City Subway (Money Train): A World Below

Forget the glitz and glamour of Manhattan; Money Train plunges us deep into the belly of the beast: the New York City subway system. It’s a claustrophobic, gritty world of flickering fluorescent lights, screeching trains, and the constant hum of desperation.

Think about it: the subway is a pressure cooker. It’s where dreams go to die (or, in this case, get blown up for millions of dollars). The environment breeds a sense of isolation and anonymity. It’s easy to feel invisible down there, like nobody cares what you do. And that, my friends, is a recipe for bad decisions. The constant financial pressure combined with the feeling of being trapped really amps up the stakes and the temptation for John and Charlie.

Los Angeles/Farmington, CA (The Shield): Concrete Jungle

From the underground tunnels of New York, we surface into the urban sprawl of Farmington, a fictional district of Los Angeles, in The Shield. But don’t expect any palm trees and sunshine! This is a concrete jungle where gang violence is rampant, and social issues simmer just below the surface. The setting is raw, intense, and mirrors the moral decay at the heart of the show.

“The Barn”: The Heart of the Matter

The real heart and soul of The Shield is “The Barn”, a repurposed church that serves as the police station for the Strike Team. It’s a brilliant visual metaphor. It should be a place of refuge and morality, but it’s anything but. “The Barn” becomes a symbol of the corruption within the system, a place where lines blur and justice gets twisted to fit Vic Mackey’s agenda. It shows that even the institutions created to maintain order are not immune to darkness. The setting constantly reminds us of the show’s core themes: power, control, and the erosion of morality.

Creative Minds and Studio Hands: Money Train and The Shield’s Backstage Crew

Every story, no matter how wild or gritty, comes from somewhere. So, let’s shine a little light on the masterminds and behind-the-scenes players who helped bring Money Train and The Shield to life.

David McKenna: The Man Who Keeps it Real

First up, we’ve got David McKenna, the writer behind Money Train. This guy has a knack for injecting raw, often comedic, realism into his work. Think about it – a couple of transit cops plotting to rob a money train? It needs a grounded touch to keep it from going totally off the rails (pun intended!). McKenna’s also known for his work on films like American History X and Blow, so you know he’s no stranger to exploring complex characters and morally ambiguous situations, themes that Money Train, perhaps surprisingly, shares with The Shield.

Shawn Ryan: The Architect of The Shield‘s Moral Maze

Now, let’s talk about Shawn Ryan, the _visionary_, the _showrunner_, the _absolute boss_ behind The Shield. Ryan crafted a world where the lines between good and evil are so blurred they’re practically invisible. He didn’t just want to show cops catching bad guys; he wanted to dive headfirst into the messy, complicated choices they make when trying to keep the streets safe (or, you know, lining their own pockets). Ryan’s dedication to gritty realism and complex character development is what made The Shield such a groundbreaking and influential show.

The Strike Team Blueprint: A Recipe for Chaos

Speaking of The Shield, we can’t forget the concept of the “Strike Team” itself. This wasn’t just a group of cops; it was a carefully constructed powder keg of personalities, loyalties, and ambitions. The Strike Team allowed Ryan to explore the themes of brotherhood, betrayal, and the corrupting influence of power in a way that few shows had dared to before. It’s the team dynamic and Vic Mackey’s leadership (or lack thereof) that drives so much of the show’s tension and drama. It’s this blueprint that allows the whole story to come to life in such a raw and unadulterated way.

Studio Influence: Shaping the Tone

Finally, let’s give a quick nod to the studios involved: Columbia Pictures for Money Train and FX for The Shield. These studios, ultimately, can affect tone and direction in so many ways. Think about it: Money Train, with its bigger budget and studio backing, leaned more heavily into the action-comedy aspects, while FX, known for taking risks and pushing boundaries, gave Shawn Ryan the freedom to create a much darker and more morally challenging world in The Shield. It’s interesting to consider how a project’s backing can influence what we see as the end result and helps give the project it’s particular style or feeling.

So, whether you’re a die-hard Shield fan or just looking for a gritty crime drama with some financial flair, “Money Train” and “The Shield” offer a wild ride. Just remember to keep your hands inside the train at all times – things are about to get bumpy, and maybe a little illegal.