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IMDb > The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
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The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

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User Rating: 7.7/10 (5,843 votes)
Photos (see all 7 | slideshow)

Overview

Director:
Joseph Sargent
Writers:
John Godey (novel)
Peter Stone (screenplay)
Release Date:
14 November 1974 (West Germany) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Thriller more
Tagline:
Before this train reaches the next station it will become the scene of the most spectacular hijack ever attempted more
Plot:
In New York, armed men hijack a subway car and demand a ransom for the passengers. Even if it's paid, how could they get away? full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 nominations more
User Comments:
My favorite crime drama of the '70s. Maybe ever. more

Cast

 (Cast overview, first billed only)

Walter Matthau ... Lt. Garber
Robert Shaw ... Blue
Martin Balsam ... Green

Hector Elizondo ... Grey
Earl Hindman ... Brown
James Broderick ... Denny Doyle

Dick O'Neill ... Frank Correll
Lee Wallace ... The Mayor
Tom Pedi ... Caz Dolowicz
Beatrice Winde ... Mrs. Jenkins

Jerry Stiller ... Lt. Rico Patrone
Nathan George ... Ptl. James
Rudy Bond ... Police Commissioner
Kenneth McMillan ... Borough Commander (as Kenneth Mc Millan)

Doris Roberts ... Mayor's Wife
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Pelham 1-2-3 (Europe: English title) (video box title)
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (USA) (alternative spelling)
Tomar de Pelham uno dos tres, El (USA: Spanish title) (dubbed version)
more
Runtime:
104 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Spanish
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
UK:AA (original rating) | West Germany:16 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R
MOVIEmeter: ?
^ 69% since last week why?

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In a TVO interview, the producer said that this film did terrific box office in New York, Toronto, London and Paris -- all cities with subways -- but was considered a flop in the rest of the world. more
Goofs:
Errors in geography: The action takes place on NYC subway's IRT Lexington Avenue line on the downtown local tracks. The downtown local tracks end in a reversing loop just south of the Brooklyn Bridge Station. It is the Lex. express tracks that go beyond that Sta. a mile or more to South Ferry where the movie reports that the "runaway" Local gets "tripped' and comes to a stop. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Mr. Mattson: Okay, kid, out loud now so's I can hear what you're sayin'.
Bud Carmody: I'm checkin' the passengers gettin' on and off...
Mr. Mattson: Uh-huh.
Bud Carmody: Front and back. Shuttin' the doors. Rear section first and the first section. And the doors are closed. Now I'm checking my indicator lights to make sure all the doors are locked. I remove my switch key and back out the window for a distance of three car lengths to make sure no one's being dragged. 51st Street next stop; next stop, 51st Street. How'd I do?
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Mitchell (#6.12)" (1993) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
25 out of 34 people found the following comment useful:-
My favorite crime drama of the '70s. Maybe ever., 5 February 2004
8/10
Author: Greg (GregCnAZ@aol.com) from Phoenix, AZ U.S.A

With all the other plot summaries written here, I won't go into what this film is all about. I just want to say that I don't believe this genre has been done better, either before or since. I first saw "Pelham 1,2,3" when I was 14 at a drive-in theater in Northern CA. It holds a memorable place for me as the first R rated movie I ever saw, as well as the first time I ever heard the "F" word in a movie. But way beyond that, I was so completely sucked into the story even at my young age. Now all these years later, I still am. I own the movie and must see it periodically. I'm so glad, reading all the other user comments, to find that I'm just one of many who absolutely love this film. Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, and the rest of the cast are all brilliant. The comedy in the film is also outstanding and never out of place within the storyline. It simply serves to make the film more realistic. And last but not least, David Shire's score is the coolest. I only wish they had put a soundtrack out for this film. When I watch this movie, the music must be cranked.

Don't bother catching this film on TV. It's always completely hacked up. Rent it or buy the DVD. It will remind you just how much fun movies used to be.

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One Million Dollars???? nsavage3-1
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Columbia Pictures is remaking it. divinus-cja
soundtrack mp3? fat_mike_for_presldent
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