The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
1974 · Movie · R · 105 min · ★ 7.5 · 83% critics
Armed men seize a New York City subway car and hold its passengers hostage, demanding a huge ransom on a tight deadline. As officials scramble to respond and keep panic from spreading, the biggest question isn’t just paying up—it’s how anyone could pull off an escape from the tunnels.
Based on The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
Also known as The Mastermind · Underground Hi-jack
Where to watch
Watch free on Tubi — also streaming on MGM+.
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Details
- Years
- 1974
- Release date
- 1974-10-02
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 83/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.5/10 (627 votes)
- Box office
- $18,700,000
- Budget
- $3,800,000
About
If you enjoy tight, pressure-cooker crime stories with ticking-clock stakes and a gritty New York edge, this should hit the spot; Not for you if you want deep character drama or a consistently serious tone like Ronin.
Pros: tense subway standoff; gritty 70s vibe; sharp cat-and-mouse | Cons: uneven tone shifts; thin character depth; humor undercuts tension
Themes
- new york city
- ransom
- kidnapping
- hostage
- liberation of hostage
- 1970s
- mayor
- hijacking
- hostage-taking
- remake
- train
- police officer
- +1 more
Cast & crew
Walter Matthau
as Lt. Garber
Robert Shaw
as Blue
Martin Balsam
as Green
Héctor Elizondo
as Grey
Earl Hindman
as Brown
James Broderick
as Denny Doyle
Dick O'Neill
as Correll
Lee Wallace
as The Mayor
Tom Pedi
as Caz Dolowicz
Jerry Stiller
as Lt. Rico Patrone
Directed by Joseph Sargent