The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

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

Writers:

John Godey (novel), Peter Stone (screenplay)

Stars:

Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Walter Matthau	...	Police Lt. Zachary Garber
Robert Shaw	...	Bernard Grier aka Blue
Martin Balsam	...	Harold Longman aka Green
Hector Elizondo	...	Giuseppe Benvenuto aka Grey
Earl Hindman	...	George Steever aka Brown
James Broderick	...	Denny Doyle - Train Conductor
Dick O'Neill	...	Frank Correll
Lee Wallace	...	Al - the Mayor of New York City
Tom Pedi	...	Caz Dolowicz
Beatrice Winde	...	Mrs. Jenkins
Jerry Stiller	...	Police Lt. Rico Patrone
Nathan George	...	Police Ptl. James
Rudy Bond	...	Phil - Police Commissioner
Kenneth McMillan	...	Harry - Borough Commander (as Kenneth Mc Millan)
Doris Roberts	...	Jessie - the Mayor's Wife

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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

train | hostage | passenger | hijacker | subway | 

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Taglines:

Everyone read it. Now you can live it.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

14 November 1974 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

El tomar de Pelham uno dos tres

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross:

SEK 1,003,937 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Palomar Pictures (I), Palladium Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filming of the subway scenes began in late November 1973 and lasted through January 1974. Though the scenes were filmed on a track that had been out of use since the 1940s, they were close enough to the still functioning A and E lines that takes had to be done in between those trains coming through (to and from Hoyt-Schermerhorn station) because of their noise and lights.

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Goofs

As Mr. Brown is about to pull his gun on the conductor, a man in a black jacket is seen entering the train. Then Mr. Brown pulls his gun and tells the conductor that when the person leaning against the first car (Mr. Blue) gets on, he is to close the doors. The same man in the black jacket gets on again.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mr. Mattson: Okay, kid, out loud now so's I can hear what you're sayin'.
Bud Carmody: I'm checkin' the passengers gettin' on and off...
Mr. Mattson: Uh-huh.
Bud Carmody: Front and back. Shuttin' the doors. Rear section first and the first section. And the doors are closed. Now I'm checking my indicator lights to make sure all the doors are locked. I remove my switch key and back out the window for a distance of three car lengths to make sure no one's being dragged. 51st Street next stop; next stop, 51st Street. How'd I do?

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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.

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Connections

Referenced in Reservoir Dogs (1992)

User Reviews

The best heist film of all time!!!

A group of heavily armed men, all wearing the same disguises board a subway train underneath the streets of New York. They quickly take over the train and hold seventeen passengers hostage. They look and talk like professionals. They use codenames. Their ransom demand is One Million Dollars. Are these just maniacs without a plan? And if they do have a plan, how are they all going to escape alive while the world watches?

Right away, this film grabs you and doesn't let go. Every character plays their role remakably and memorably. Enough suspense to keep you chewing your nails until they are stubs...and most of all, a realistic and engrossing storyline. You will literally be on the edge of your seat, wondering where the next plot twist will take you.

You can easily see where Quentin Tarantino borrowed ideas from this movie to make Reservoir Dogs...and in my opinion, this film makes Reservior Dogs look like a second rate film. Its truly a shame most people aren't familiar with this movie and it doesn't have the allure or big star power to draw in new fans seeking out a great film to watch

If you happen to run across The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three though, do not pass it up! This is honestly the best heist movie I've ever seen. 10 out of 10 Rating.