Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Breakneck
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- tense
- frantic
- paranoid
- action movie night
- crime thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the strong cast and built-in suspense undermined by Tony Scott’s frantic direction and a failure to match the 1974 original.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Walter Garber manages the hijacked train from the dispatcher’s position while Ryder communicates with him by phone.
Ryder demands ten million dollars, but the plot repeatedly questions whether the ransom is the true purpose of the hijacking.
Garber is temporarily demoted while under investigation for bribery, yet becomes the kidnapper’s only acceptable negotiator.
Tony Scott’s remake emphasizes frantic direction, rapid pacing, and heightened subway action over the original film’s restraint.
Films like The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, and why
Inside Man
shared hostage negotiation, urban crime thriller tension, and a charismatic criminal antagonist
Unstoppable
shared subway-centered action suspense, ticking-clock stakes, and determined working-class protagonists
Speed
shared enclosed-location hostage crisis, police negotiation, and escalating urban menace
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
shared gritty New York crime atmosphere, procedural investigation, and morally compromised institutions
Movie Details
- Director
- Tony Scott
- Release Date
- 2009-06-10
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (3505)
Cast
- Denzel Washington
- John Travolta
- John Turturro
- Luis Guzmán
- James Gandolfini
- Michael Rispoli
- Gary Basaraba
- Alex Kaluzhsky
- Alice Kremelberg
- Katherine Sigismund
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, YouTube TV, AMC
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 about?
- A disgraced New York subway dispatcher is forced into a high-stakes phone duel with an armed hijacker holding a trainload of hostages for ransom.
- What is The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 as breakneck, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3?
- Critics broadly found the strong cast and built-in suspense undermined by Tony Scott’s frantic direction and a failure to match the 1974 original.
- Which films are like The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3?
- Films with a similar feel include Inside Man, Unstoppable, Speed, and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.
- How long is The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3?
- The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 runs 106 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3?
- In United States, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 streams on Philo, YouTube TV, AMC.
