The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

Director:

Joseph Sargent

Writers:

John Godey (novel)
Peter Stone (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 November 1974 (West Germany)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Before this train reaches the next station it will become the scene of the most spectacular hijack ever attempted

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?

Plot Keywords:

Subway | Hostage | Passenger | Train | Demands

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Walter Matthau	...	Lt. Zachary Garber
Robert Shaw	...	Blue
Martin Balsam	...	Green
Hector Elizondo	...	Grey
Earl Hindman	...	Brown
James Broderick	...	Denny Doyle
Dick O'Neill	...	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

Also Known As:

El tomar de Pelham uno dos tres (USA: Spanish title) (dubbed version)
Pelham 1-2-3 (Europe: English title) (video box title)
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:16 (f) | UK:AA (original rating) | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | Canada:14+ | Canada:18A (video rating) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Palomar Pictures

Trivia:

Filmed mostly in the tunnels leading to the decommissioned IND Court St. station in Brooklyn. The station itself served as Grand Central and 28th St., and it is currently the home of the New York City Transit Museum.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The movie shows a wall behind the train at the 28th street IRT station. This part of the subway does not have walls between tracks - you can see clear across the express tracks to the local tracks going in the other direction. The wall is typical of an IND station - probably the Transit Museum station where filming was done, but with a different sign.

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?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in James K. Polk Was @#?!ing Awesome (2009)

My favorite crime drama of the '70s. Maybe ever.

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.