‎The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) directed by Joseph Sargent • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

1974 Directed by Joseph Sargent

We are going to kill one passenger a minute until New York City pays us 1 million dollars.

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?

Walter Matthau Robert Shaw Martin Balsam Héctor Elizondo Earl Hindman James Broderick Dick O'Neill Lee Wallace Tom Pedi Jerry Stiller Rudy Bond Kenneth McMillan Doris Roberts Christopher Murney Julius Harris Bill Cobbs Joe Seneca Tony Roberts

104 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Dave Jackson ★★★★½ 3

For decades, all that I associated The Taking of Pelham One Two Three with was a Beastie Boys song. Having finally seen it, I can see why Ad-Rock saw fit to throw a reference in "Sure Shot". The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is a lean, fast-paced crime tale with a solid cast headed up by the amazing Walter Matthau and the equally brilliant Robert Shaw. Peppered in-between are the familiar faces of actors like Jerry Stiller and Martin Balsam (who comes close to stealing the show). We have a huge cast of characters, and the script balances their screen time perfectly. From the moment a character enters the screen for the first time, we know exactly what we…
Review by Steve G ★★★★★ 12

"Even great men have to pee."

Yes, even Walter Matthau.

The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three is a film that had the misfortune of being a thriller made in the 1970s. What this meant was that instead of getting the absolute widespread plaudits, awards and huge box office that it quite obviously deserves, it ended up bubbling under a fair amount of the massive numbers of other similar films made in the decade.

It's not the fault of the film or anyone involved - it just happens like that sometimes. There is no doubt in my mind, though, that this is not only every bit as deserving as other more iconic films from the decade such as The French…
Review by sydney ★★★★ 1

best closing shot in cinema history
Review by Mr. DuLac ★★★★½ 3

Gesundheit.
-Lt. Zachary Garber

Gritty 70s crime thriller trimmed of fat with zero bullshit. It's a simple enough story, almost seems boring on paper, subway car is hijacked with the armed men demanding $1 million. That's all there is to the plot and yet it feels like a movie that never stops moving... partly cuz the subway car almost never stops, but it's more than that.

You've got Robert Shaw as the head hijacker, "Mr. Blue"... which reminds me, ever notice the more 70s films you watch the more you wonder just how much Quentin Tarantino films are "homages" and how much are actually "original material"? I love QT anyways.... back to Shaw, his "Mr. Blue" is a cold calculated…
Review by Steve G ★★★★★ 10

The 1970s Crime Season!

I only reviewed this last December. And I said that I wasn't doing any more rewatches in this season. But it's my birthday today so I'm not even slightly sorry. No I won't tell you how old I am, fuck off.

This was probably my sixth or seventh viewing of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three and this time round my thoughts turned to why this is a cut above almost every other film of its type, not just from this decade, but from any decade. I wonder if it's because it isn't really of this 'type', if you know what I mean. It's not just the central plot, which sees a bunch of colour-monikered…
Review by Ivica_Pusticki ★★★★ 3

You know, the funny thing is, I had this DVD on my shelf for years now! Just laying there, collecting dust. Actually, by checking my Amazon account, I found out that I purchased the DVD of THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE on 03 March 2009.! So that's like 8 years ago!! And in those 8 years, I never watched this, but I have seen that Tony Scott's remake twice all ready...and I really like that remake.

Well, last night I finally grabbed that DVD from my shelf and watched the damn movie! And I quite liked it! It was very good and very entertaining movie. But truthfully, its kind of hard for me to decide which is better,…

Recent reviews

Review by Marina Antunes ★★★★

One of hubby's favourites also happens to be a super effective thriller. Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw are so great.

Watched as part of The Cinematheque's 24 Hr Movie Marathon.
Review by Devan Scott ★★★★½

Cinematheque Marathon 9/12
Review by Melissa McDowell ★★★½

Robert Shaw and Walter Mathau were the highlights for me. And an almost unrecognizable Hector Elizando, who I tend to associate with nice guy roles, as a violent and pervy villain. The ending was pretty awesome and satisfying, if a tad predictable. Fun action thriller.
Review by Sam O ★★★★

I spent the whole movie thinking the top half of Mr. Brown's face looked really familiar and apparently that's because he's Wilson from Home Improvement.
Review by Dave Jackson ★★★★½ 3

For decades, all that I associated The Taking of Pelham One Two Three with was a Beastie Boys song. Having finally seen it, I can see why Ad-Rock saw fit to throw a reference in "Sure Shot". The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is a lean, fast-paced crime tale with a solid cast headed up by the amazing Walter Matthau and the equally brilliant Robert Shaw. Peppered in-between are the familiar faces of actors like Jerry Stiller and Martin Balsam (who comes close to stealing the show). We have a huge cast of characters, and the script balances their screen time perfectly. From the moment a character enters the screen for the first time, we know exactly what we…
Review by Toppy ★★★½

Blending suspense with New York City charm creates a entertaining Thriller that can seamlessly blend between serious and funny.
Review by AngryProduction ★★★★★

There's really not much to fault in this film.

Great cinematography which actually makes you appreciate the olden days when films were shot on film.

Great performances by Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw.
The director Joseph Sargeant was never able to top anything in his career from what I could see on imdb. Not so with the DOP Owen Roizman who also shot Network, The French Connection, Tootsie and The Exorcist.

That ending! Oh, how I loved that ending.

I remember catching glimpses of this as a kid when it screened on television. What a fool I've been not to catch the whole thing a lot earlier.
Review by Sean Maley ★★★★

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is a wild ride, which the hostages discover in the film. Director Joseph Sargent masterfully mixes in comedy, a bit too racist at times, and intrigue. The basic premise follows a group of men as they hijack a New York subway car; their goal: to obtain one million dollars through ransom. With the help of a sardonic Walter Matthau, the authorities of New York scramble to deal with the situation. But the film highlights that the surprise lies in the “where”, and not necessarily the notion of a crime. For New York, like any large city, experiences a high volume of various daily crime. As Matthau explains to a group of Japanese officials,…
Review by StephenFurda ★★★½

I think what I liked most about this one is its treatment of the New York attitude, that kind of brash self-importance that enables the city's members to boo at the mayor even in a time of crisis, or an MTA employee to be more concerned about getting the trains running on time than saving a handful of citizen's lives. It's quite fascinating, especially because none of the hostages exhibit any of that kind of behavior. Face to face with danger, that facade of toughness breaks down. Beyond that, I thought this was mostly a solid thriller, buoyed by a great world-weary performance from the ultimate world-weary actor, Walter Matthau. There's surprisingly little action in this movie, and most of the tension comes from phone calls - which is to say, they don't make them like they used to.