Opening

87% Star Trek Into Darkness May 16
24% Erased May 17
91% Frances Ha May 17
44% The English Teacher May 17
42% Black Rock May 17
77% Pieta May 17
—— Populaire May 17
21% 33 Postcards May 17

Top Box Office

78% Iron Man 3 $72.5M
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77% 42 $4.6M
56% Oblivion $4.1M
69% The Croods $3.6M
98% Mud $2.5M
8% The Big Wedding $2.5M
60% Oz the Great and Powerful $1.1M

Coming Soon

—— The Hangover Part III May 23
77% Fast & Furious 6 May 24
—— Epic May 24
94% Before Midnight May 24

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009)

tomatometer

51

Average Rating: 5.4/10
Reviews Counted: 217
Fresh: 110 | Rotten: 107

Despite a strong cast, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 suffers under the excesses of Tony Scott's frantic direction, and fails to measure up to the 1974 original.

50

Average Rating: 5.5/10
Critic Reviews: 44
Fresh: 22 | Rotten: 22

Despite a strong cast, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 suffers under the excesses of Tony Scott's frantic direction, and fails to measure up to the 1974 original.

audience

60

liked it
Average Rating: 3/5
User Ratings: 617,031

My Rating

Movie Info

A New York City subway dispatcher draws on his extensive knowledge of the subway system in order to outsmart a dangerous criminal mastermind who's hijacked a subway train in this remake of the 1974 thriller inspired by John Godey's best-selling book. Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) is drifting through his daily routine when he receives word that a heavily armed gang of four has hijacked a subway train and is holding all of the passengers hostage. Led by cunning master thief Ryder (John

R,

Mystery & Suspense, Action & Adventure

Brian Helgeland

Nov 3, 2009

$65.5M

Sony/Columbia Pictures - Official Site External Icon

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Cast

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All Critics (219) | Top Critics (44) | Fresh (111) | Rotten (108) | DVD (6)

'The Taking of Pelham 123' is not a bad film: it's ponderous and shallow, but always watchable. But what it crucially fails to do, especially in the light of its illustrious predecessor, is justify its own existence.

July 31, 2009 Full Review Source: Time Out
Time Out
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Can a director be arrested for the attempted hijack of our emotions?

June 15, 2009 Full Review Source: New Yorker | Comments (2)
New Yorker
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Washington demonstrates his really remarkable ability to make us forget he's a movie star and completely believe he's a flawed but noble civil servant.

June 15, 2009 Full Review Source: At the Movies
At the Movies
Top Critic IconTop Critic

I was really disappointed by this.

June 15, 2009 Full Review Source: At the Movies
At the Movies
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Whereas the original, directed by Joseph Sargent, was essentially a well-oiled B movie, the new incarnation, directed by Tony Scott, is bristling with high-tech gimcrackery and over-the-top camera flourishes.

June 12, 2009 Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor
Christian Science Monitor
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Set in a nightmare New York City, the subway hostage thriller batters our nerves like a tom-tom.

June 12, 2009 Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A professionally mounted genre exercise which tries to please both thriller and social drama crowds, and suffers mightily as a result.

May 15, 2012 Full Review Source: Shared Darkness
Shared Darkness

You're so busy enjoying the sound and picture quality that you're inclined to forgive the film's missteps.

February 11, 2012 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis
Movie Metropolis

Thunderous, metallic, ominous, screeching sound effects add to the sensory perception that you're watching a megaton monster barreling toward a dramatic showdown.

September 29, 2011 Full Review Source: American Profile
American Profile

Veteran directorial fireball-hurler Tony Scott (Deja Vu, Top Gun) messes it up, as usual.

August 26, 2011 Full Review Source: East Bay Express
East Bay Express

This sort of thing by design devolves into two guys talking on a phone, which if it's got any chance of working requires strong actors to bring their characters to life. Which is probably where Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 succeeds best.

March 21, 2011 Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net
ComingSoon.net

A valiant effort, but ultimately Pelham feels like little more than Washington's latest star vehicle, bound for Netflix after a short summer run.

January 26, 2011 Full Review Source: Las Vegas CityLife

The fourth (and least effective) collaboration between Denzel Washington and Tony Scott...

November 13, 2010 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews
Reel Film Reviews

In the post 9-11 New York City, it's a patently ludicrous suggestion that four machine-gun toting, sinister looking individuals can walk freely about the most heavily-guarded subway system in the world.

August 9, 2010 Full Review Source: sbs.com.au
sbs.com.au

When logic subsides, as alas it does, it is the sheer force of Washington's intensity and Travolta's élan that keeps the film on, ahem, track

January 17, 2010 Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews
Killer Movie Reviews

All restless shots and relentless cuts, ticking clocks and roving maps, a stream of shouting and shooting and speed-ramping and slow-motion and little real excitement.

December 17, 2009 Full Review Source: Cinematical
Cinematical

This is either bad writing, bad direction, bad acting or a combination of the three.

December 6, 2009 Full Review Source: Cinemalogue.com
Cinemalogue.com

The movie might leave audiences feeling a lot like hostages themselves, at the hands of the director. Who seems to have a bit of a contact high with all the grating noise, grit and funk of runaway trains. Somebody needed to put the brakes on this guy too.

November 7, 2009 Full Review Source: NewsBlaze
NewsBlaze

Audience Reviews for The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

Im not sure how good the original wsa but this was a different take on your normal terrorist/criminal hostage movie. Decent acting, ok action. It was what it was.
January 8, 2011
jmanard52

Super Reviewer

I've never seen the original so I can't make a comparison there, but I felt the movie stood alone on its own very well. Denzel was Denzel (great as always), even playing a more relaxed role as a control room operator. I thought John Travolta was very good and convincing, especially after not having seen him in films for a while. All in all, I thought the film was great and "at least" average; the scores on RT don't do it any justice....they should be higher.
September 18, 2012
Eric Alvarez

Super Reviewer

    1. Ryder: She was an ass model.
    – Submitted by Eddie R (15 months ago)
    1. Ryder: You're my god damn hero.
    – Submitted by Jossan F (24 months ago)
    1. Phil Ramos: I can't get it out of my head. I'm gonna die today.
    – Submitted by Chris P (2 years ago)
    1. Ryder: Life is simple now. They just have to do what I say.
    – Submitted by Chris P (2 years ago)

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Latest News on The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

June 19, 2009:
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Time for the weekly update, folks. As always, thanks to everyone who has submitted reviews and...

June 15, 2009:
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This week, The Rotten Tomatoes Show will be looking at the movies that opened over the weekend, with...

June 12, 2009:
Comparing the Takings of Pelham 1 2 3
Now that Tony Scott's "The Taking of Pelham 123" is in theaters, we're free to compare it with the...

Foreign Titles

  • L'attaque du métro 123 (FR)
  • Asalto al tren Pelham 1 2 3 (ES)
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