The Taking of Pelham 123

2009
R
1h 46m

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

211K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer2:34

Action Crime Thriller

Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day's work for dispatcher Walter Garber into a face-off with the... Read allArmed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day's work for dispatcher Walter Garber into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime.Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day's work for dispatcher Walter Garber into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

211K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

4,970

802

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win & 7 nominations

Videos15

Trailer 2:34

The Taking of Pelham 123: Trailer #2

Trailer 2:33

The Taking of Pelham 123

Trailer 2:33

The Taking of Pelham 123

Clip 0:56

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 -- "Calling Pelham 1 2 3"

Clip 0:34

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 -- "Chase"

Clip 0:23

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 -- "Money Transfer"

Clip 0:56

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 -- "Milk"

Photos129

+ 123

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
John Travolta chose not to promote the film with the rest of the cast because he was still reeling from the loss of his son Jett.

Goofs
When Garber is instructed by Lt. Staley in the use of the Walther PPK .380 he is told that the safety is on when the lever is up and off when it is down. This is the opposite of the safety's actual operation. When the lever is up, exposing a red dot, the safety is off. When down it is in the SAFE position.

Quotes
Ryder: [last lines, to Garber] You're my goddamn hero.

Crazy credits
The film starts with the picture way in the distance and it slowly approaches, making it appear as if the audience is in a subway tunnel.

Connections
Featured in The 81st Annual Academy Awards (2009)

Soundtracks
99 Problems
Written by Leslie West (as Leslie Weinstein), John Ventura, Norman Smart (as Norman Landsberg), Felix Pappalardi, Billy Squier, Ice-T (as Ice T), Alphonso Henderson and George Clinton (as George Clinton, Jr.)
Performed by Jay-Z
Courtesy of Roc-A-Fella Records/The Island Def Jam Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises
Contains a sample of "Long Red"
Performed by Mountain
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment
Also contains a sample of "The Big Beat"
Performed by Billy Squier
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music

User reviews391

Review

Featured review

7/10

A good, tense heist thriller

A surprisingly enjoyable and tense thriller. While it does have a good bit of the kind of silly excess that ruins most summer blockbuster movies anymore, those flaws are overshadowed by the tightly-wound script and a couple of good performances from Denzel Washington and John Travolta. Director Tony Scott seems to have spent a good bit of effort trying to channel the spirit of 1970's American movies, and often this pays dividends as the focus on grittiness over spectacular action sequences ups the suspense. It's interesting that as the movie approaches the end you can feel the director's 21st century comic-book instincts straining against the genre he's working in as the story becomes increasingly less believable and more "heroic."

Nevertheless I can recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a suspenseful action movie that doesn't beat you over the head with histrionics from beginning to end. Admittedly I've never seen the original, and I can easily imagine those who love it might be substantially less enthusiastic about this remake.