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IMDb > The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
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The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 19 | slideshow) Videos (see all 15)
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) -- Walter Matthau stars as a New York transit cop who must keep gunmen who've hijacked a subway car from killing hostages if their $1,000,000 ransom demand is not met within an hour.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) -- How long does it take to count one million dollars?
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) -- Get out your pen and paper! Mr. Blue is ready to lay down his demands.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) -- Bang bang on the train.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) -- Mr. Grey is not fond of uninvited passengers.

Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   7,857 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 81% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Joseph Sargent
Writers:
John Godey (novel)
Peter Stone (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Taking of Pelham One Two Three on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
14 November 1974 (West Germany) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Thriller more
Tagline:
Before this train reaches the next station it will become the scene of the most spectacular hijack ever attempted more
Plot:
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? full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(9 articles)
Weekend Report: Lush 'Hangover,' 'Up' Linger Over Typical 'Taking'
 (From BoxOfficeMojo.com. 15 June 2009, 1:23 PM, PDT)

Trainiac!
 (From New York Post. 12 June 2009, 8:35 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Great NYC flick more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
El tomar de Pelham uno dos tres (USA: Spanish title) (dubbed version)
Pelham 1-2-3 (Europe: English title) (video box title)
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (USA) (alternative spelling)
La captura del Pelham 1-2-3 (Uruguay) (Venezuela) [es]
Dlugi postój na Park Avenue (Poland) [pl]
Il colpo della metropolitana - un ostaggio al minuto (Italy) [it]
Les pirates du métro (France) [fr]
O Seqüestro do Metrô (Brazil) [pt]
Pelham 1-2-3 kaapattu (Finland) [fi]
Pelham 1-2-3 kapat (Sweden) [sv]
Pelham 1.2.3. (Spain) [es]
Stoppt die Todesfahrt der U-Bahn 1-2-3 (West Germany) [de]
Stoppt die Todesfahrt der U-Bahn Eins Zwei Drei! (West Germany) [de]
Togkapring (Denmark) [da]
more
Runtime:
104 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Spanish
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
West Germany:16 (f) | UK:AA (original rating) | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | Canada:14+ | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In a TVO (Ontario, Canada) interview, the producer said that this film did terrific box office in New York, Toronto, London and Paris -- all cities with subways -- but was considered a flop in the rest of the world. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: Departing the 42nd Str. (Express) Station for the 33rd Str. (Local) Sta. those downtown tracks - and only those, receive a switchpoint whereby the 42nd Str."shuttle" joins the Lexinton Avenue line... Those points are shown BUT in the opposite/wrong direction. (Either the scene is using a different set of points somewhere else in the System OR that scene was somehow edited-in to the film BACKWARDS.) more
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?
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That! (2006) more

FAQ

Is "The Taking of Pelham" based on a book?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
What is the dead man feature?
more
20 out of 30 people found the following comment useful:-
Great NYC flick, 28 February 2002

I am biased a little with this film to begin with, as I live in NYC and am a big subway fan. So a gritty 70's flick that takes place in a NYC subway sounds good to me! But the truth is, this film is a great film full of extremely talented actors with a dynamite story. Shaw and Matthau are the obvious stars with everyone else putting in a good co-starring role.

The story takes place on the "6" train no less, which happens to be my fave subway line! It was a great surprise when I found the DVD for only ten bucks, I would have paid a normal price. And the quality of the DVD transfer is VERY nice. The film, though a bit brutal sometimes, even has some decent humor, even the ending is kinda funny, but perfect. I recently watched this on TV, just to compare the two versions and see where all the cuts and edits were. You can't go wrong with this film.

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