The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

Stars	User	Rating
4	MJVmovieMan	83 _84th
A skillful, entertaining classic with taut direction. The movie moves along tightly with the interesting interplay of smarts between dead-serious Matthau and villainous Shaw. But the dialogue doesn't fall to predictable hero-bad guy banter and philosophizing. It's simply business, and the plot hangs on the mysterious plans of the hijackers - that's the film's strength. Played out in what feels like real-time, "Pelham One Two Three" is a thrilling hostage film that doesn't forget to have fun.
4	jstry	88 _85th
Suspenseful without being cheesy. Good acting. I liked it a lot.
4	KMcNeil	8 _84th
A rare gem that works as both thriller and comedy.
4	INDYATMN	98 _97th
An action thriller in the 70's-classic style, meaning a story that entertains but never panders. Attention is paid 2 detail, plausibility& plot rather than efx & marketing results, so 2day's teens might b surprised 2 find so many smart, normal-looking ADULTS over 40 (!) running around, but every1 else can sit back & enjoy the ride. Shaw is great as a man who could b Hans Gruber's godfather& Matthau proves that 1 knowing glare can knock the audience on its ass as well as an exploding monument.
3	soliloquist	98 _99th
Consummate comedy and a first-rate thriller. One of my favorites. Walter Matthau is priceless, Robert Shaw is gold. The dynamic between them makes the movie (though the mayor of New York City cracks me up). A "must-see" on multiple levels.
3	BillyShears	85 _86th
Walter Matthau. I can't believe that Tony Scott watched this movie and thought he could do any better.
3	iceblox	82 _91st
An intelligent, gripping thriller.
3	jodamico	84 _93rd
Best NY movie ever.
3	juntakinte99	80 _65th
It is a tiny bit dated as future heist films would have a more docudrama approach to crime, terrorism, and hostage negotiation that'd be more suspenseful. Also, the racism & sexism are cringeworthy. But in some ways this flick will always be timeless. First, Matthau is amazing in every scene as an unconventional action hero. And David Shire's jazz-funk music works as a film score and an album in its own right. Still, in the end, it is a well edited piece of fun and document of a time.
2	DavidKahane	93 _87th
Matthau is wonderful as the Transit Authority supervisor who responds to everything with the sort of of rumpled weariness that was the actor's stock and trade. The film offers up a bursting roster of perpetually pissed off municipal workers, many more upset that their workday has been disrupted than they are about the group of commuters who've become hostages. Sargent assembles it all in gripping fashion, mixing urban verisimilitude with expert storytelling perfectly suited to the tight plot.
2	Moribunny	73 _79th
Maybe it's not up to speed with more modern thrillers in terms of action and slickness, but it's better anyway, Walter Matthau rocks, and the ending is hysterical. Watch it.
2	Pickpocket	5 _44th
Nothing all the remarkable, but not a waste of time. It's lacking something to keep it from being great, the remake is gonna be so awful though.
2	Stain	80 _68th
ACHOO!
2	Anomaly	79 _72nd
An entertaining seventies thriller that stands out by being set on a subway. Good acting, and a great balance of humor and tension.
2	Mentaculus	83 _79th
A superior action thriller. Funny, tense, with a palpable grittiness that - although dated - adds depth to the setting and seems to transcend its time period. Fantastic stuff.
2	AstralArtist	99 _99th
In my opinion, this is arguably the best American film of the 70s- yes, above Godfather, Jaws, Star Wars, etc.- for one simple reason: it is cinematic entertainment in its purest form. A well paced story that perfectly blends drama, suspense, action & comedy into a gripping story that builds to an exciting climax & believable conclusion without taking itself too seriously. Excellent performances from a stellar cast compliment the gritty cinematography & musical score. One of my personal top 10.
2	KasperL	80 _86th
Providing humour and menace, respectively, Matthau and Shaw are both fun in this very entertaining thriller.
2	hellsditch	92 _96th
Gritty, '70s style action flick that sets the stage for Die Hard, et. al. And it's got Robert Shaw! In my review of "Road Warrior" I describe it as incredibly lean and fast -- everything on screen has a verve and a vibrancy that is lacking from about 99% of what passes for action movies. Road Warrior has it. Robocop has it. Die Hard has it. Pelham most definitely has it.
2	Luna6ix	80 _74th
Far superior to the remake with Denzel, I found the villians to be hardly evil, but that's the way I like it. This is one of the better crime thrillers from this half of the decade, and Matthau was awesome.
2	tathiel	86 _88th
A real great one, very nice dry humour especially on the side of Walter Matthau. Interesting action story with believable hijackers.
2	tef	95 _93rd
A perfect film. Nobody gives a shit but everyone cares. New York cynicism throughout, and it all works.
2	yesistasty	76 _33rd
Fairly entertaining caper.
2	billkerwin	89 _80th
A funny, foul-mouthed thriller filled with memorable moments of suspense and humor. Great gritty NYC '70's atmosphere. All the actors--even the bit parts--are good, and Matthau, Balsam and Shaw give superior performances.
2	dunbar	82 _80th
A lot of sass and wit get thrown around in this slightly goofy train heist caper. Shaw's villain counters the mood nicely by staying a cool customer throughout. It's not exactly high octane, but it doesn't waste too much time either. Pretty entertaining.
2	myfavchords	84 _86th
This film is a really great ride. It is a really exciting thriller with some funny lines that will keep you interested for the entire film. I highly recommend this film.
1	MartinTeller	74 _50th
Good heist thriller, nothing too special but not a waste of time either.
1	DMCrimson	86 _94th
SOLID! Every scene has a goal, tension, motivations, and entertaining characters interacting with each other. There's not a bad minute to watch.
1	irvinejump	80 _84th
The remake is so so, but this is fantastic, with Robert Shaw and Walther Matthau both in fine form
1	TheDiceman	60 _62nd
Not bad.
1	Ytadel	7 _83rd
Cool villains and likable heroes in a very pure thriller that gets the adrenaline pumping and even gets you concerned about the hostages. Lots of suspense and an entertaining, claustrophobic setting. It peaks just a little early but otherwise is damn cool. I can see why they picked it for a remake.
1	Alex Watkins	3 _38th
It's alright. A bit TOO realist and subdued for my tastes, without any one aspect that make it stand above the rest. Still, solid all-around, and it's always a safe bet that Robert Shaw will deliver.
1	PeaceAnarchy	77 _51st
Not a whole lot of twists but it still gets you hooked and wondering what will come next. The sprinkling of comedy meshes well with the tension making for a solid and enjoyable movie.
1	twincinema	90 _92nd
As soon as this ended, I was like, "oh damn, I want to watch that again." Not only is the screenplay perfect, but the ending is the GREATEST ENDING OF ALL-TIME (no hyperbole, buddy). We don't let actors age anymore -- Matthau and Stiller were only 34 and 37 here. You can really see how this influenced Tarantino, right down to the use of that word.
1	nilkynarfy	80 _78th
Action Matthau gonna save the day!
1	tonydal	80 _74th
Some of the jokes were a bit forced, but generally a lot of fun (and gripping too). Kind of like Barney Miller done as a thriller. "How the hell are you supposed to run a goddamn railroad without swearing?" lol
1	stepsideways	88 _56th
Interesting score, and great closing scene.
1	skiewulfy	50 _56th
Worth watching if you like having a lot of archetypal cops and robbers hamming things up with the plot kept within the strict confines of a single subway car. A bit by the numbers, but a grizzled Walter Matthau keeps things memorable.
1	cinema_hell	82 _68th
Reservoir Dogs.
1	Dean Franz	80 _79th
Incredibly tight and flawlessly executed crime caper/cop story. Don't expect a grand gesture of cinema, but simply a flick whose one humble aim is to keep the adrenaline pumping a solid 100 minutes. And yes, it delivers.
1	Ofterdingen	70 _75th
Very entertaining. Rather silly.
1	Angliche92	77 _65th
Robert Shaw is the man !!!
1	Jeb	86 _73rd
A standout thriller in the wacky and goofy 70s era. The new one with Denzel Washington is no doubt going to be a huge failure.
1	NathanDarko	91 _85th
Great action thriller
1	EastonD	83 _72nd
no movie star good looks to be found here
1	WWallce4prez	83 _82nd
This no frills suspense film is a tightly packed story in its gripping 100 minutes relies on smart banter and white knuckle deadlines. The battle between Matthau and Shaw is what shines, especially as the former delivers some hilarious barbs. A classic.
1	Pepsi-Man	3 _74th
Nicely paced thriller, has a good sense of very cynical humor.
1	Ocelot	80 _89th
a film with no wasted motion whatsoever. it starts, it hums, it speeds and it slowly comes to a halt with a pitch perfect ending. almost like a great train ride! there are some vestigial elements likely carried over from the novel, and some of the jokes fall flat, but many others do a good job injecting levity into the premise without undermining the seriousness of the situation itself. there is somewhat of a ceiling on how good schlocky capers can be, and this hits it.
1	nauru	75 _85th
Not bad at all. A bit predictable and a little gratuitous with the sexist/racist/stupid jokes, but generally well done and well paced. Stylish music, nice ending, and an authentic New York feel -- each of the characters seems real, you know? Like these are guys you would reasonably expect to see working at the Met or on the NYPD, not polished-looking celebrities.
1	Piglet	75 _79th
Will no doubt stand out from the remake coming to a theater near you. As always Shaw as the antagonist the high point.
1	spleen	85 _84th
The New York subway system steals the show here. And then there's Jerry Stiller.
1	Okkervil	70 _67th
Cracking thriller. Full of tension.
1	SirRobbie	70 _53rd
Entertaining as hell! It's great to see Mr. Matthau in yet another well done movie.
1	misterlizard	75 _79th
A great hostage movie, full of 70s New York cynicism and believable characters. It's a slow burner that gradually draws you in to its story. It underpins the hostage situation with some great characters and a vein of black humour. There are some moments that seem politically incorrect today, but they just reflect attitudes at the time. The Die Hard movies owe a huge debt to this film, and I can't think of better praise than that.
1	hellboy76	72 _86th
If you saw the remake and were put off, give this a chance. Understated tension is the star here as well as Matthau's likable slob hero.
1	Noblet	80 _70th
I really liked the dialogue, and especially all the funny little lines mixed in with the tense stuff. It's not really a fresh, unique film to me, it's just really, really solid.
1	VladHammer	80 _41st
Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw - pretty powerful lineup and a better-than-average story made this fun to watch, even if a bit outdated. Also notable for the surprising amount of adult language in a film from '74.
1	donnam	85 _64th
A smart, funny thriller that still delivers more than the heavier-action remake attempts.
1	xacviant	88 _87th
Four armed men led by an ice-cold psychopath (Robert Shaw) take over a subway train, and the authorities--like the sardonic Lt. Garber (Walter Matthau)--rush to meet their demands and stop their getting away. Peter Stone's smoothly worked-out script (from a bestseller) bubbles over with dark comedy (some of it a bit dated), and Joseph Sargent's direction keeps the tension high till the very end. Shaw and Matthau lead an excellent cast; the final shot is perfect. Wonderful music by David Shire.
1	ribcage	80 _77th
Everybodys great. Loved Shaw loved matthau( especially that last shot!). Pace was spot on... Never a dull moment. Solid movie
1	Alex S	8 _69th
Excellent heist movie with one of the best bad guys i've seen on screen in years. Robert Shaw's so cool and in total control. Walter Matthau's delivery is pitch perfect. Great script,tight editing and a super cool soundtrack make this a must see.
1	adamj1982	75 _69th
Tense and entertaining through out. A good mix of humor thrown in also
1	glm01	89 _97th
88.500
1	Yiannos	73 _77th
Joseph 'Jaws: The Revenge' Sargent was not a particularly distinguished director, but Pelham was one of the more effective and memorable thrillers of the 70's thanks to a solid script and an appealing cast of splendid character actors. It makes great use of its New York locations, comparable to the exceptional works of New Hollywood, and it builds sufficient tension from its surprisingly unhurried pace. Matthau is at his surly best while Shaw is suitably menacing as the criminal mastermind.
1	mike365365	72 _77th
I enjoyed it, even if people con't really get "kicked out of the mafia".
1	leemarvins	85 _91st
Funny and tense script by Peter Stone. Wonderful ensemble cast of 70's character actors gives this film a feel and authenticity of a down and dirty New York crime picture. Music by David Shire is just the coolest.
1	nobamba	60 _61st
Very gritty setting. ONE. MILLION. DOLLARS. Fav scene: final interrogation.
1	RottenT	100 _98th
Breezy, thrilling, and quite funny, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three sees Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw pitted against each other in effortlessly high form.

Average Percentile 65.79% from 1060 Ratings