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?
Director:
Joseph Sargent
From metacritic.com
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Title: The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
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Photos
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Walter Matthau | ... | ||
| Robert Shaw | ... | ||
| Martin Balsam | ... | ||
| Hector Elizondo | ... | ||
| Earl Hindman | ... | ||
| James Broderick | ... | ||
| Dick O'Neill | ... | ||
 |
Lee Wallace | ... |
Al - the Mayor of New York City
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| Tom Pedi | ... | ||
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Beatrice Winde | ... | |
| Jerry Stiller | ... | ||
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Nathan George | ... |
Police Ptl. James
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Rudy Bond | ... |
Phil - Police Commissioner
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| Kenneth McMillan | ... |
Harry - Borough Commander
(as Kenneth Mc Millan)
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| Doris Roberts | ... |
Jessie - The Mayor's Wife
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Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Four seemingly-unrelated men board subway train Pelham 1:23 at successive stations. Mr. Blue, Mr. Green, Mr. Grey and Mr. Brown are heavily armed and overpower the motorman and novice conductor to take control of the train. Between stations they separate the front car from the remainder of the train, setting passengers in the back cars and the motorman free. The four demand $1 million ransom within exactly one hour for the remaining eighteen hostages, including the conductor. If their demands are not met in time or their directions are not followed precisely, they will begin to shoot hostages dead, one every minute the money is late. Wisecracking Lt. Zach Garber of the transit police ends up being the primary communicator between the hijackers and the authorities, which includes transit operations, his own police force, the NYPD, and the unpopular and currently flu ridden mayor who will make the ultimate decision of whether to pay the ransom. Unknown to Garber, what may be working on ... Written by Huggo
Taglines:
Before this train reaches the next station it will become the scene of the most spectacular hijack ever attempted See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
14 November 1974 (West Germany) See more »Also Known As:
Pelham See more »Box Office
Budget:
$5,000,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
Edit
Lt. Garber: Yeah, this is Command Center.
Mrs. Jenkins: She's moving.
Lt. Garber: Who's moving?
Mrs. Jenkins: Pelham One Two Three.
Lt. Garber: What? Since when?
Mrs. Jenkins: Just started.
Lt. Garber: Hold on, I'll put you on tie-in.
Lt. Garber: Rico, she's moving.
Lt. Rico Patrone: Who's moving?
[...]
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The Pelham 1-2-3 subway train was an R21 Series subway car built by the St. Louis Car Co. in 1956. See more »Goofs
Inspector Daniels is being driven by a uniformed cop with collar brass "82," indicating Daniels is an Inspector assigned to Brooklyn (Any N.Y.P.D. Precinct numbered from 60 through 99 means "Brooklyn."). Since all of the action takes place in the Borough of Manhattan, it is highly unlikely a Brooklyn Inspector would be placed in charge of the operation- especially when the extremely high-profile Borough of Manhattan has more Inspectors when compared to the outer Boroughs. See more »Quotes
Mrs. Jenkins: Grand Central Tower calling Command Center.Lt. Garber: Yeah, this is Command Center.
Mrs. Jenkins: She's moving.
Lt. Garber: Who's moving?
Mrs. Jenkins: Pelham One Two Three.
Lt. Garber: What? Since when?
Mrs. Jenkins: Just started.
Lt. Garber: Hold on, I'll put you on tie-in.
Lt. Garber: Rico, she's moving.
Lt. Rico Patrone: Who's moving?
[...]
See more »
Crazy Credits
Although many of the scenes in this film were taken on transit property, the New York City Transit Authority is not responsible for plot, story and characters portrayed. The Authority did not render technical advice and assistance. See more »Catch up with everything you missed at Comic-Con with IMDb's 2017 Comic-Con Guide.
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.