| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Walter Matthau | ... | ||
| Robert Shaw | ... | ||
| Martin Balsam | ... | ||
| Hector Elizondo | ... | ||
| Earl Hindman | ... | ||
| James Broderick | ... | ||
| Dick O'Neill | ... | ||
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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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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
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.