The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
Average Rating: 8.2/10
Reviews Counted: 32
Fresh: 32 | Rotten: 0
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 7.8/10
Critic Reviews: 6
Fresh: 6 | Rotten: 0
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 8,719
My Rating
Movie Info
On a quiet midday in New York, along the Lexington Avenue subway line, the train designated "Pelham One Two Three" -- so named for its station of origin and time of departure -- makes its way down the East Side of Manhattan. One by one, three men board the train, and at 28th Street, a fourth man approaches the motorman (James Broderick) and points a pistol at him, ordering him to unlock the door to his cab and admit the man waiting there; meanwhile, another man points a gun at the conductor and
Oct 2, 1974 Wide
May 15, 2001
United Artists
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Cast
-
Walter Matthau
Lieutenant Garber -
Robert Shaw
Blue -
Martin Balsam
Green -
Hector Elizondo
Grey -
Earl Hindman
Brown -
James Broderick
Denny Doyle -
Ruth Attaway
Mayor's Nurse -
Thomas Barbour
T.A. Chairman -
Anna Berger
The Mother -
Gary Bolling
The Homosexual -
Rudy Bond
Police Commissioner -
Bill Cobbs
Man on Platform -
Alex Colon
The Delivery Boy -
Joe Fields
The Salesman -
Nathan George
Patrolman James -
Mari Gorman
The Hooker -
Michael Gorrin
The Old Man -
Gene Gross
Muscat -
Burtt Harris
Ptl. Ricci -
Julius Harris
Inspector Daniels -
Louise Larabee
The Alcoholic -
Kenneth McMillan
Borough Commander -
George Lee Miles
The Pimp -
Christopher Murney
Dispatcher -
Dick O'Neill
Correll -
Tom Pedi
Caz Dolowicz -
Doris Roberts
Mayor's Wife -
Tony Roberts
Warren LaSalle -
Lucy Saroyan
Coed #2 -
Joe Seneca
Police Sergeant -
Sal Viscuso
Ptl. O'Keefe -
Lee Wallace
The Mayor -
Robert Weil
Marino -
Beatrice Winde
Mrs. Jenkins -
Conrad Yama
Mr. Tomashita -
Carey Loftin
Stunt Driver -
Harry Madsen
Stunt Driver -
Paul Nuckles
Stunt Driver -
Jerry Stiller
Lt. Rico Patrone -
Carol Cole
The Secretary -
Carolyn Nelson
Coed #1 -
Jerry Holland
Budy Carmondy -
Carmine Foresta
Train Expediter -
Tim Myers
Plumber -
Cynthia Belgrave
The Maid -
Simon Deckard
Ptl. Miskowsky -
Toru Nagai
Mr. Yashimura -
Rick Seaman
Stunt Driver -
Thomas LaFleur
Older Son -
María Landa
Spanish Woman -
William Snickowski
Hippie/Plainclothes Pol... -
Walter Jones
Mr. Mattson
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All Critics (32) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (34) | Rotten (0) | DVD (10)
The original version of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three was made 35 years ago, yet it retains a quality of cool that will remain long after people have forgotten the current version.
Top CriticThe Taking of Pelham One Two Three is a good action caper about a subway car heist under the streets of Manhattan.
Superior exercise in urban paranoia; the superb location work of director Joseph Sargent goes a long way toward tempering the artificialities of the plot.
The film retains a fascination.
Darkened encounters with the ghost of Abe Beame don't come more giddily thrilling.
It's the only action picture I've seen this year that has a rousing plot.
Fox's barebones Blu-ray of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three barrels into your living room in bold 1080p.
One of the decade's great defenses of New York
Smart, tense, and funny, Joseph Sargent's thriller is a product of its times, reflecting New York in the 1970s and part of a cycle of urban paranoia movie, such as French Connection and Dog Day Afternoon.
Surly humor powers the movie as much as the ticking-clock premise does.
This is gritty, entertaining 1970s filmmaking at its finest.
An archeological specimen from nearly two decades before the advent of the Metrocard
...a quintessential 1970s New York picture, full of prickly characters and urban tension.
Director Sargent piles on the tension expertly, proving that sometimes the simplest plots are the most effective. Those who think that the action thriller is an invention of the last two decades would do well to check this one out.
The kind of gritty, relentless thriller that could only come from the '70s.
Exciting, suspenseful drama.
Excellent little thriller
Trama interessante, boas atuações e diálogos excelentes fazem com que este filme mereça ser redescoberto pelas platéias atuais.
Exciting and very funny with a knowingly cynical sense of humor.
Audience Reviews for The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
For me personally, the best Robert Shaw performance ever. No one scarier than Mr. Blue, I kid you not. He asks this of Matthau right before he . . . Don't want to give it away. It's an electrifying scene.
As if his work in The Laughing Policeman just the year before was a tune-up, Matthau appears again as the dogged cop dutifully dealing with the bad guys. This is for me, his most memorable dramatic role. He and Shaw, as adversaries, give a performance for the ages. I miss them both.
Super Reviewer
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Latest News on The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
June 22, 2012:
Five Favorite Films with Patton OswaltBetween his stand-up comedy, astute writing on pop culture and wonderfully odd performances in movie...
June 12, 2009:
Comparing the Takings of Pelham 1 2 3Now that Tony Scott's "The Taking of Pelham 123" is in theaters, we're free to compare it with the...
April 29, 2008:
Stills From Pelham One Two Three Remake Leak OnlineThe first shots of Denzel Washington in the upcoming Taking of Pelham One Two Three remake have...
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Foreign Titles
- Stoppt die Todesfahrt der U-Bahn 123 (DE)
- The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3 (1974) (UK)
Still... a fun flick - beautifully paced and a great time capsule of cruddy NYC circa '74.