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 Ryder 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:

poliziottesco | north american poliziottesco | new york city new york | african american | train | 

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Taglines:

Everyone read it. Now you can live it.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | 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:

Gracie Mansion, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

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

All the crew wore surgical masks to protect themselves from dirt and debris during the shooting of all the scenes down in the subway tunnels.

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Goofs

As Robert Shaw leaves the conductor at his cab window, to enter the train. the character,in the cab behind the conductor, is meant to be Martin Balsam, who is wearing a plain raincoat. It is a gent in a heavily checked coat.

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Quotes

Lt. Garber: Did you get that list of motormen who were discharged for cause I asked you to get?
Lt. Rico Patrone: Yeah - 78 names.
Lt. Garber: Seventy-eight?
Lt. Rico Patrone: Yeah, but it's not that bad. Eight are dead, 22 were rehired, eleven are in jail, 26 moved away, one's in a mental institution, and another's a member of the New York Police Department.
Lt. Garber: That's our man right there.
Lt. Rico Patrone: Sorry to disappoint you, Zachary, but he was accounted for.

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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

Remade as The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1998)

User Reviews

Much imitated, never bettered.

Modern tough-guy filmmakers like Quentin Tarentino acknowledge their debt to this pedal-to-the-metal thriller, directed by Joseph Sargent from John Godey's bestseller. Walter Matthau is a hoot as the savvy NY transit cop who's smarter than he looks, well-matched by Robert Shaw as the icy mercenary whose gang has hijacked a subway car for a one-million-dollar ransom.

This film's been imitated so often because its makers were really at the top of their game. Owen Roizman (THE FRENCH CONNECTION) handled the gritty location photography; scripter Peter Stone contributed terse, funny dialogue; scene-stealers like Martin Balsam, Jerry Stiller, Dick O'Neill and others made their roles indelible; and David Shire's percussive score set a standard for the genre.

The ending is classic. When you have Matthau as your star, this is how to end your movie.