The Incident (1967) | Ruby Dee & Brock Peters Trapped in a Subway Nightmare

BlackTree Media proudly presents The Incident, a gripping psychological thriller starring Ruby Dee, Brock Peters, Tony Musante, Martin Sheen, Beau Bridges, Thelma Ritter, and Jack Gilford.

Set almost entirely inside a late-night New York City subway car, the film follows a diverse group of passengers who are terrorized by two violent young men. As the abuse escalates, fear, prejudice, selfishness, and social divisions prevent the passengers from standing together.

More than a crime thriller, The Incident is a disturbing examination of racism, bystander inaction, fear, and what happens when ordinary people remain silent in the face of cruelty.

📽️ Rating: Approved under the former Motion Picture Production Code. The film was released before the modern MPAA rating system began in 1968.

📖 MOVIE SYNOPSIS

After spending the night drinking and looking for trouble, young hoodlums Joe Ferrone and Artie Connors board a Manhattan-bound subway train.

The two men trap the passengers inside one car and begin selecting them one by one for humiliation, intimidation, and physical abuse.

Among the passengers are Arnold and Joan Robinson, a Black married couple whose relationship is already strained by Arnold’s anger over the racism and disrespect he experiences in America.

As Joe and Artie continue terrorizing the passengers, Arnold’s frustration grows—not only toward the attackers, but toward the white passengers who refuse to act until the violence reaches them personally.

With every stop, the atmosphere becomes more dangerous. Yet the passengers remain divided by race, age, class, fear, and their desire to protect only themselves.

Eventually, one injured soldier must decide whether to continue watching or become the first person willing to fight back.

🎭 RUBY DEE AND BROCK PETERS SPOTLIGHT

• Brock Peters as Arnold Robinson, an angry and frustrated Black man whose bitterness reflects years of racism, humiliation, and exclusion.

• Ruby Dee as Joan Robinson, Arnold’s compassionate wife, who attempts to calm him while navigating the hostility surrounding them.

Their storyline adds an important racial dimension to the film. Arnold recognizes that the passengers’ silence is not neutral. He sees people refusing to defend one another and questions whether anyone in the car would risk themselves to protect a Black man.

Ruby Dee brings warmth and restraint to Joan, while Brock Peters delivers one of the film’s most emotionally charged performances.

🎭 KEY CAST

• Tony Musante as Joe Ferrone, the more aggressive and calculating of the two attackers.

• Martin Sheen as Artie Connors, Joe’s reckless companion, in his feature-film debut.

• Beau Bridges as Private Felix Teflinger, an injured soldier traveling through New York.

• Brock Peters as Arnold Robinson.

• Ruby Dee as Joan Robinson.

• Jack Gilford as Sam Beckerman.

• Thelma Ritter as Bertha Beckerman.

• Ed McMahon as Bill Wilks.

• Donna Mills as Alice Keenan, in her film debut.

• Featuring Jan Sterling, Gary Merrill, Mike Kellin, Robert Fields, and Diana Van der Vlis.

🎬 FILMMAKERS

• Director: Larry Peerce

• Writer: Nicholas E. Baehr

• Based on the television play: Ride with Terror

• Producers: Monroe Sachson and Edward Meadow

• Cinematography: Gerald Hirschfeld

• Music: Terry Knight and Charles Fox

• Distributor: 20th Century Fox

• Genre: Psychological Thriller / Crime Drama

• Year: 1967

• Runtime: Approximately 107 minutes

🏆 AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

At the 1968 Mar del Plata International Film Festival:

• Tony Musante won Best Actor.

• Nicholas E. Baehr won Best Screenplay.

• Larry Peerce received the Critics Grand Prize.

The film has also gained lasting recognition as an intense example of socially conscious 1960s American cinema.

🌟 WHY THIS FILM MATTERS

The Incident asks why people remain silent when they witness cruelty.

Each passenger believes that staying quiet will keep them safe. But their unwillingness to defend one another gives the attackers more confidence and power.

Through Ruby Dee and Brock Peters, the film also confronts racial isolation. Arnold understands that he is surrounded by people who may tolerate his humiliation rather than risk becoming involved.

The movie remains relevant because its central question has never disappeared: When injustice happens directly in front of us, do we look away—or do we stand up?

BlackTree Media is proud to showcase films that challenge audiences, preserve important Black performances, and inspire difficult conversations about race, responsibility, courage, and community.

⚠️ Viewer Discretion Advised: This film contains violence, racial hostility, offensive language, harassment, and mature themes.

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