The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

"We are going to kill one passenger a minute until New York City pays us 1 million dollars."

1974 1h 45m EN

👍

7.5

SOLID

★7.5TMDB · 662

CrimeThrillerActionComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In New York, armed men hijack a subway car and demand a ransom for the passengers while the authorities question about the method of their escape.

“We are going to kill one passenger a minute until New York City pays us 1 million dollars.”

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Cast

Walter Matthau
Lieutenant Garber
Robert Shaw
Blue
Martin Balsam
Green
Héctor Elizondo
Grey
Earl Hindman
Brown
James Broderick
Denny Doyle
Dick O'Neill
Correll
Lee Wallace
Mayor

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Joseph Sargent
Writers: Peter Stone
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

52 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Joseph Sargent, shot by Owen Roizman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by David Shire. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Editor Gerald B. Greenberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw and Martin Balsam carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "We are going to kill one passenger a minute until New York City pays us 1 million dollars.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0072251 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Joseph Sargent directs. Owen Roizman behind the camera. David Shire scores. Gerald B. Greenberg cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

152 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Joseph Sargent, shot by Owen Roizman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by David Shire. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Gerald B. Greenberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw and Martin Balsam carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "We are going to kill one passenger a minute until New York City pays us 1 million dollars.".
7IMDB entry: tt0072251 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 13 themes, including "new york city", "ransom", "kidnapping", "hostage".

The technical file

Cinematography: Owen Roizman
Original score: David Shire
Editing: Gerald B. Greenberg
Costume design: Anna Hill Johnstone
Makeup / hair: Irving Buchman
Sound: Al Gramaglia
Stunt coordinator: Joie Chitwood Jr.
Runtime: 105 min · 1h 45m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

Also by

Joseph Sargent

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-01-18
★ 7/10
Robert Shaw is great in this tensely presented heist thriller with a difference. Allied with Martin Balsam's "Green", Hector Elizondo as "Grey" and Earl Hindman's "Brown" they meticulously hijack a subway train and hold the city to ransom for $1 million. It falls to grizzled transit cop "Garber" (Walter Matthau) to try and second-guess their plans before they start killing one passenger per minute! What adds suspence to this mystery is their potential escape route? Stuck in well mapped and monitored tunnels fifty food beneath street level, how are they planning on getting their loot to Cuba? Joesph Sargent gets loads from an established cast of players here who develop the sense of peril and excitement well - especially the master of less-is-more that is Robert Shaw. It's good to see Matthau demonstrate he's not just about whacky comedy and as the plot reaches it's duplicitous, nerve-wracking denouement with even some space for a delicious irony at the end. The photography captures well the dark and claustrophobically dingy subterranean environment as well as the increasingly frenetic command centre where "Garber" is being wound up by track manager "Correll" (Dick O'Neill) whilst facing increasingly pressure from the hapless mayor (Lee Wallace). Pay them or have your electorate slaughtered? What would you do...?
Sierbahnn2026-10-03
★ 8/10
I was not aware that the movie with Travolta and Washington was a remake of this movie and it was there for a pleasant surprise to watch this one. It is clearly a product of its time and the pacing is something you would expect out of a movie from the 70s. It is however really well thought out and I understand completely how the remake could be as good as it was given the heritage it was working with. Apart from it being a product of its time it is a really good movie but if you are sensitive to the pacing of the 70s then of course this is not the action movie for you.