Apple TV+’s hit limited series “Hijack” starring Idris Elba is a nail-biting thrill ride set in real-time. Over the years, there have been many types of hijack films. Besides planes, there have been suspenseful takeovers of ships, trains, subways and even trucks.
“The Taking of the Pelham One Two Three,” from 1974 — avoid the two remakes — is a superb thriller about four men who take over a New York subway car and hold the passengers, conductor and an undercover policeman hostage unless they get $1 million (remember that was a lot of money 49 years ago). If their demands aren’t met, they will start killing hostages. Directed by Joseph Sargent and adapted by Peter Stone from the best-selling novel by John Godey, “Taking” boasts a stellar cast at the top of their game including Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Hector Elizondo and Martin Balsam. David Shire penned the influential score.
A year...
“The Taking of the Pelham One Two Three,” from 1974 — avoid the two remakes — is a superb thriller about four men who take over a New York subway car and hold the passengers, conductor and an undercover policeman hostage unless they get $1 million (remember that was a lot of money 49 years ago). If their demands aren’t met, they will start killing hostages. Directed by Joseph Sargent and adapted by Peter Stone from the best-selling novel by John Godey, “Taking” boasts a stellar cast at the top of their game including Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Hector Elizondo and Martin Balsam. David Shire penned the influential score.
A year...
- 8/8/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
A superb thriller is now better than ever on 4K. We’ve always known why it rewards viewings: it’s both thrilling and funny. When Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam and Hector Elizondo hijack a subway train, Walter Matthau must scramble to collect a ransom while trying to figure out how they’ll make their escape. Peter Stone’s dialogue is delightful — the loud & mouthy ’70s New Yorkers are hilariously abrasive — and lovable. “Who wants to know?!!!” Includes a Blu-ray disc and a new commentary.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 4K
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1974 / Color B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 104 min. / Street Date December 20, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 39.95
Starring Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, Earl Hindman, James Broderick, Dick O’Neill, Lee Wallace, Tom Pedi, Jerry Stiller, Rudy Bond, Kenneth McMillan, Doris Roberts, Julius Harris,Robert Weil.
Cinematography Owen Roizman
Original Music David Shire...
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 4K
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1974 / Color B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 104 min. / Street Date December 20, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 39.95
Starring Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, Earl Hindman, James Broderick, Dick O’Neill, Lee Wallace, Tom Pedi, Jerry Stiller, Rudy Bond, Kenneth McMillan, Doris Roberts, Julius Harris,Robert Weil.
Cinematography Owen Roizman
Original Music David Shire...
- 12/27/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
“Next Stop… Hijack!”
By Raymond Benson
There were many motion pictures made in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s that depict New York City as a less than desirable place to be. A hell on earth full of crime, grime, sin, debauchery, drugs, gangs, and corruption. You know the titles—The Out of Towners, Midnight Cowboy, Joe, Taxi Driver…
While the portrayal may very well have been true, to a certain extent, this reviewer lived in Manhattan over a decade during the relevant years and found it to be the most exciting, vibrant, culturally potent, and beautifully stimulating environment. Not only that, the #6 Irt train is one this reviewer rode almost daily, so the stops, the milieu, and the atmosphere were dead-on familiarities. As some of us like to say today in the age when 42nd Street and Times Square have been “Disney-ized,” we...
“Next Stop… Hijack!”
By Raymond Benson
There were many motion pictures made in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s that depict New York City as a less than desirable place to be. A hell on earth full of crime, grime, sin, debauchery, drugs, gangs, and corruption. You know the titles—The Out of Towners, Midnight Cowboy, Joe, Taxi Driver…
While the portrayal may very well have been true, to a certain extent, this reviewer lived in Manhattan over a decade during the relevant years and found it to be the most exciting, vibrant, culturally potent, and beautifully stimulating environment. Not only that, the #6 Irt train is one this reviewer rode almost daily, so the stops, the milieu, and the atmosphere were dead-on familiarities. As some of us like to say today in the age when 42nd Street and Times Square have been “Disney-ized,” we...
- 7/25/2020
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
On Oct. 2, 1974, the R-rated, 105-minute thriller The Taking of Pelham One Two Three debuted in theaters with a plot that was "perfect for the national obsession with disaster." The Hollywood Reporter's original review is below.
With a clear conception of contemporary values, Joseph Sargent has directed the best of the multiple jeopardy pictures to date. This co-presentation of Palomar Pictures and Palladium Productions, produced by Edgar J. Scherick and Gabriel Katzka, is sure-fire entertainment, gripping, exciting and humanly funny from beginning to end.
Peter Stone has adapted John Godey's compelling novel about ...
With a clear conception of contemporary values, Joseph Sargent has directed the best of the multiple jeopardy pictures to date. This co-presentation of Palomar Pictures and Palladium Productions, produced by Edgar J. Scherick and Gabriel Katzka, is sure-fire entertainment, gripping, exciting and humanly funny from beginning to end.
Peter Stone has adapted John Godey's compelling novel about ...
- 10/2/2016
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
On Oct. 2, 1974, the R-rated, 105-minute thriller The Taking of Pelham One Two Three debuted in theaters with a plot that was "perfect for the national obsession with disaster." The Hollywood Reporter's original review is below.
With a clear conception of contemporary values, Joseph Sargent has directed the best of the multiple jeopardy pictures to date. This co-presentation of Palomar Pictures and Palladium Productions, produced by Edgar J. Scherick and Gabriel Katzka, is sure-fire entertainment, gripping, exciting and humanly funny from beginning to end.
Peter Stone has adapted John Godey's compelling novel about ...
With a clear conception of contemporary values, Joseph Sargent has directed the best of the multiple jeopardy pictures to date. This co-presentation of Palomar Pictures and Palladium Productions, produced by Edgar J. Scherick and Gabriel Katzka, is sure-fire entertainment, gripping, exciting and humanly funny from beginning to end.
Peter Stone has adapted John Godey's compelling novel about ...
- 10/2/2016
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Newly available on Blu-ray, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three remains a great, charged, gritty thriller, shot through with sardonic humor. Growing up in Los Angeles, I couldn't help but take my hometown for granted and wish that I lived in New York. It was an adolescent fantasy that I fulfilled eventually, at least for a dozen years or so before the city that never sleeps wore me down and kicked me out, but in the 1970s I fed my dreams by reading and watching as many NYC-based dramas as possible. John Godey's novel The Taking of Pelham One Two Three caught my imagination immediately after I read the end flaps at my local public library. It was a workingman's thriller, which was appealing,...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 7/12/2016
- Screen Anarchy
A special edition of this confirmed '70s crowd pleaser? I'm there. Robert Shaw has big plans to hijack a New York subway car, and subway cop Walter Matthau is determined to stop him. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 42nd Anniversary Special Edition Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1974 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 104 min. / Street Date July 5, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 1974 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 104 min. / Street Date November 1, 2011 / 19.99 Starring Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, Earl Hindman, James Broderick, Dick O'Neill, Lee Wallace, Tom Pedi, Jerry Stiller, Rudy Bond, Kenneth McMillan, Doris Roberts, Julius Harris. Cinematography Owen Roizman Original Music David Shire Written by Peter Stone from the novel by John Godey Produced by Gabriel Katzka, Edgar J. Sherick Directed by Joseph Sargent
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
I reviewed an MGM-Fox Blu-ray of United Artists' The Taking of Pelham One Two Three back in late 2011, and I can't...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
I reviewed an MGM-Fox Blu-ray of United Artists' The Taking of Pelham One Two Three back in late 2011, and I can't...
- 7/2/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Martin Balsam: Oscar winner has ‘Summer Under the Stars’ Day on Turner Classic Movies Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winner Martin Balsam (A Thousand Clowns) is Turner Classic Movies’ unusual (and welcome) "Summer Under the Stars" featured player today, August 27, 2013. Right now, TCM is showing Sidney Lumet’s The Anderson Tapes (1971), a box-office flop starring Sean Connery in his (just about) post-James Bond, pre-movie legend days. (Photo: Martin Balsam ca. early ’60s.) Next, is Joseph Sargent’s thriller The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974). Written by Peter Stone (Father Goose, Arabesque) from John Godey’s novel, the film revolves around the hijacking of a subway car in New York City. Passengers are held for ransom while police lieutenant Walter Matthau tries to handle the situation. Now considered a classic (just about every pre-1999 movie is considered a "classic" these days), The Taking of Pelham One Two Three was...
- 8/28/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Recent hot cinema topics such as the portrayal of the Mandarin character in Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 and speculations about what classic Star Trek villain Benedict Cumberbatch’s character in J.J Abrams’ Star Trek: Into Darkness was modeled after leading up to the film’s release, among others, underline the importance of great villains in genre cinema.
Creating a great cinematic villain is a difficult goal that makes for an incredibly rewarding and memorable viewer experience when it is achieved.
We’ll now take a look at the greatest film villains. Other writing on this subject tends to be a bit unfocused, as “greatest villain” articles tend to mix live-action human villains with animated characters and even animals. Many of these articles also lack a cohesive quality as they attempt to cover too much ground at once by spanning all of film history.
This article focuses on the 1970’s,...
Creating a great cinematic villain is a difficult goal that makes for an incredibly rewarding and memorable viewer experience when it is achieved.
We’ll now take a look at the greatest film villains. Other writing on this subject tends to be a bit unfocused, as “greatest villain” articles tend to mix live-action human villains with animated characters and even animals. Many of these articles also lack a cohesive quality as they attempt to cover too much ground at once by spanning all of film history.
This article focuses on the 1970’s,...
- 5/19/2013
- by Terek Puckett
- SoundOnSight
Whether you measure your movies by box office, reviews, or popular appeal, Sony’s $125 million remake of the 1990 Ah-nuld Schwarzenegger interplanetary action fest Total Recall looks like a strike-out. The movie opened with a lethal softness; a $25.7 million first weekend meaning Recall won’t even come close to making back its budget during its domestic theatrical run. In fact, despite 22 years of ticket price increases, it’s doubtful the movie will even match the original’s $119.3 million haul.
And for those of you who think maybe the problem is Total Recall was outgunned opening while The Dark Knight Rises was still sucking up box office coin, entertain, at least for a moment if you will, the possibility the movie just plain sucks. According to Rotten Tomatoes’ canvas, almost 70% of reviewers – and over three-quarters of “top critics” – gave Total Recall a thumbs-down. Those who went to see the movie didn’t...
And for those of you who think maybe the problem is Total Recall was outgunned opening while The Dark Knight Rises was still sucking up box office coin, entertain, at least for a moment if you will, the possibility the movie just plain sucks. According to Rotten Tomatoes’ canvas, almost 70% of reviewers – and over three-quarters of “top critics” – gave Total Recall a thumbs-down. Those who went to see the movie didn’t...
- 8/15/2012
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
The Movie Pool jumps aboard The Taking of Pelham One Two Three Blu-ray!
Blu-ray Specs
Release Date: November 1, 2011
Rating: R
Running Time: 104 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audio: English Mono DTS-hd Ma, Spanish Mono, French Mono
Subtitles: English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, French
Special Features: Original trailer
The Set-up
A New York City subway transit officer (Walter Matthau) must match wits with a group of armed men who take a subway car and hold a number of civilian riders hostage for a ransom. Based on the novel by John Godey.
Directed by: Joseph Sargent
The Delivery
This fantastic thriller from 1974 features several of the best character actors of the era, including Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, and Martin Balsam. With a sly mix of humor, action, and thrills, Pelham is a heck of an entertaining ride.
Matthau is at his sarcastic best, giving the film a distinctive New York-style...
Blu-ray Specs
Release Date: November 1, 2011
Rating: R
Running Time: 104 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audio: English Mono DTS-hd Ma, Spanish Mono, French Mono
Subtitles: English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, French
Special Features: Original trailer
The Set-up
A New York City subway transit officer (Walter Matthau) must match wits with a group of armed men who take a subway car and hold a number of civilian riders hostage for a ransom. Based on the novel by John Godey.
Directed by: Joseph Sargent
The Delivery
This fantastic thriller from 1974 features several of the best character actors of the era, including Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, and Martin Balsam. With a sly mix of humor, action, and thrills, Pelham is a heck of an entertaining ride.
Matthau is at his sarcastic best, giving the film a distinctive New York-style...
- 12/20/2011
- by medina.victor@sbcglobal.net (Victor Medina)
- Cinelinx
Sony, E1, Sony
Novelist John Godey (aka the late Morton Freedgood) wrote a couple of potboiling paperbacks that inspired healthily generic movies. His most celebrated work, a thriller about the hijacking of a New York subway train, spawned a 70s hit, a 90s TV movie and a noughties remake in the shape of Tony Scott's The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009, 15, Sony).
Writer Brian Helgeland introduces a few new gizmos, viz a murky secret in the schlubby train-controller's past (Denzel Washington stepping into Walter Matthau's shoes), an obligatory internet link and an inflation-adjusted ransom which is also shackled to the stock market. While these additions may be inventive, it's harder to see what Scott brings to the party other than a desire to throw away the camera tripod and turn everything up to 11. Where Robert Shaw once spoke with quietly sinister efficiency as the leader of the evil gang,...
Novelist John Godey (aka the late Morton Freedgood) wrote a couple of potboiling paperbacks that inspired healthily generic movies. His most celebrated work, a thriller about the hijacking of a New York subway train, spawned a 70s hit, a 90s TV movie and a noughties remake in the shape of Tony Scott's The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009, 15, Sony).
Writer Brian Helgeland introduces a few new gizmos, viz a murky secret in the schlubby train-controller's past (Denzel Washington stepping into Walter Matthau's shoes), an obligatory internet link and an inflation-adjusted ransom which is also shackled to the stock market. While these additions may be inventive, it's harder to see what Scott brings to the party other than a desire to throw away the camera tripod and turn everything up to 11. Where Robert Shaw once spoke with quietly sinister efficiency as the leader of the evil gang,...
- 1/11/2010
- by Mark Kermode
- The Guardian - Film News
“The Taking of Pelham 123″ has a bit of a strange title (copied from the 1974 film of the same name), but as a viewer it is an easy to follow action film which we are graced with the loveable and slightly ‘dad-like’ character of Barber, a New York metro tube operator, played by none other than Denzel Washington. John Travolta plays the movies’ bad guy with Tony Scott taking the directing reigns. The supporting cast includes John Turturro, James Gandolfini, Victor Gojcaj, Michael Rispoli and Luis Guzmán.
The story unfolds as one of the trains in Washington’s mandate is hijacked by Travolta and his gang. It’s unclear from the outset exactly what he’s after but as the film unfolds, we begin to learn a lot more about Travolta’s character. Although the good guy, we also learn that not all of Washington’s past is as rosey as he’d like either!
The story unfolds as one of the trains in Washington’s mandate is hijacked by Travolta and his gang. It’s unclear from the outset exactly what he’s after but as the film unfolds, we begin to learn a lot more about Travolta’s character. Although the good guy, we also learn that not all of Washington’s past is as rosey as he’d like either!
- 1/11/2010
- by Laraine Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The New York subway system has long provided an underground playground for Hollywood and we’re back there again this week in new Tony Scott thriller, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 in which armed men, led by John Travolta’s Ryder hijack a New York subway train, taking the passengers hostage with train dispatcher Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) acting as desperate negotiator. Following in the footsteps of the 1974 version starring Walter Matthau, it’s the second adaptation of the Morton Freedgood novel (writing under the pen name John Godey) and is updated for today’s audiences featuring contemporary technology, a post 9/11 social climate and interestingly, more modern subway cars. Yes, even the trains are different…
Many subway films recreate the locations on studio soundstages (check out our rundown of the top NYC subway movie moments here), but Tony Scott and his crew were truly authentic for this subterranean saga actually shooting on active tracks.
Many subway films recreate the locations on studio soundstages (check out our rundown of the top NYC subway movie moments here), but Tony Scott and his crew were truly authentic for this subterranean saga actually shooting on active tracks.
- 7/28/2009
- Boxwish.com
Anyone wondering why Sony Pictures chose to remake 1974’s The Taking of Pelham One Two Three will still be asking themselves the same question after sitting through the 2009 version. Tony Scott’s Pelham 1 2 3 is almost a carbon copy of the original, only with minor changes for the worse. The revamped adaptation of John Godey’s novel is a familiar ride that often substitutes style for substance.
Scott’s kinetic camera captures all the intensity of a rail control center as Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) directs subway traffic under New York City. Colored blips of rail cars traversing the sub-city landscape are about as exciting as watching a slowly moving Lite-Brite. This riveting action is spliced with high-energy cuts of an organized team positioning themselves on the subway platform. You’ll know it’s them because they’re the only ones sinister enough to wear sunglasses underground.
The armed men hijack...
Scott’s kinetic camera captures all the intensity of a rail control center as Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) directs subway traffic under New York City. Colored blips of rail cars traversing the sub-city landscape are about as exciting as watching a slowly moving Lite-Brite. This riveting action is spliced with high-energy cuts of an organized team positioning themselves on the subway platform. You’ll know it’s them because they’re the only ones sinister enough to wear sunglasses underground.
The armed men hijack...
- 6/19/2009
- by Jeff Leins
- newsinfilm.com
The killer "Hangover" remains unbeatable at the box office. The John Travolta-Denzel Washington power cast "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" couldn't overcome the comedy film and the Disney/Pixar offering "Up."
"Pelham," a remake of the 1974 thriller and based on Morton Freedgood's 1973 novel, already covered one-fourth of its reputed 0 million budget in its first weekend. Not bad for Travolta and Washington, whose films did not often steer into the top of the charts.
"Up" was down 30.9 percent from last week but still has enough balloons to float on second place with an additional .5 million, while "The Hangover" manages to cling onto the top spot with another .4 million, bringing its total gross to 5.4 million.
Eddie Murphy's comedy fantasy film "Imagine That" fails to capture the audience's imagination with a paltry .7 million, while Will Ferrell's "Land of the Lost" was down 51.4 percent with .6 million.
"Pelham," a remake of the 1974 thriller and based on Morton Freedgood's 1973 novel, already covered one-fourth of its reputed 0 million budget in its first weekend. Not bad for Travolta and Washington, whose films did not often steer into the top of the charts.
"Up" was down 30.9 percent from last week but still has enough balloons to float on second place with an additional .5 million, while "The Hangover" manages to cling onto the top spot with another .4 million, bringing its total gross to 5.4 million.
Eddie Murphy's comedy fantasy film "Imagine That" fails to capture the audience's imagination with a paltry .7 million, while Will Ferrell's "Land of the Lost" was down 51.4 percent with .6 million.
- 6/15/2009
- icelebz.com
There are two conditions for getting maximum enjoyment out of Tony Scott's "re-imagining" of "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" starring Denzel Washington as a dispatcher negotiating with subway hijacker John Travolta.
First, try to put aside memories of the original 1974 movie -- "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" with Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw in approximately the Washington and Travolta roles.
Scott's film wisely goes out of its way to...
First, try to put aside memories of the original 1974 movie -- "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" with Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw in approximately the Washington and Travolta roles.
Scott's film wisely goes out of its way to...
- 6/12/2009
- by By LOU LUMENICK
- NYPost.com
Today, Tony Scott's rendition of The Taking of Pelham 123 hits theaters. Lovers of Pelham subway-related film will know that the movie is based on a novel by Morton Freedgod (psuedonym: John Godey), in which four armed men hijack a New York City subway train and hold its hostages for ransom. It's been made into a film twice before: Once in Joseph Sargent's 1974 film The Taking of Pelham One Two Three starring Walter Matthau, and again as a 1998 TV movie starring Edward James Olmos. As a fan of Joseph Sargent's original film, I thought it might be interesting to compare his version with Scott's new version, as I think some of the choices Scott made are pretty fascinating. If you haven't seen the original, I'd suggest you watch before you read this, as I think it's a great film that still holds up today. For obvious reasons, this...
- 6/12/2009
- by David Chen
- Slash Film
We fill you in on the hijacked-train story's long history.
By Eric Ditzian
Denzel Washington in "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3"
Photo: Sony Pictures
So far this summer movie season, we've had comic book heroes, futuristic space adventurers and wickedly hungover partygoers. What we haven't yet seen in the warm months of 2009 is a straight-up, high-intensity thriller.
All that will change Friday (June 12) when "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" speeds into theaters. It will be 90 minutes of Denzel Washington vs. John Travolta, overseen by veteran thrill-master Tony Scott ("Man on Fire," "Enemy of the State"). Denzel plays a flabby subway dispatcher who gets pulled into an incident of domestic terrorism when Travolta's Fu Manchu'd villain hijacks a New York subway car and threatens to start killing passengers.
The big-screen skirmish between two Hollywood heavyweights might have you gripping your chair with clammy palms, but there's no reason to sweat before you head into the theater.
By Eric Ditzian
Denzel Washington in "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3"
Photo: Sony Pictures
So far this summer movie season, we've had comic book heroes, futuristic space adventurers and wickedly hungover partygoers. What we haven't yet seen in the warm months of 2009 is a straight-up, high-intensity thriller.
All that will change Friday (June 12) when "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" speeds into theaters. It will be 90 minutes of Denzel Washington vs. John Travolta, overseen by veteran thrill-master Tony Scott ("Man on Fire," "Enemy of the State"). Denzel plays a flabby subway dispatcher who gets pulled into an incident of domestic terrorism when Travolta's Fu Manchu'd villain hijacks a New York subway car and threatens to start killing passengers.
The big-screen skirmish between two Hollywood heavyweights might have you gripping your chair with clammy palms, but there's no reason to sweat before you head into the theater.
- 6/12/2009
- MTV Movie News
Forget about the 1974 movie of the same name. I’m not putting it down: I’m saying, Whether you’ve seen it or not, whether you like it or not, doesn’t matter. This nominal remake (same title, same premise, mega-updated for 21st-century NYC and 21st-century movies)? It’s good. Damn good. Like this good: I’ve been waiting for a Die Hard movie to actually come close to approximating the spectacular cinematic experience that Die Hard was more than 20 years back, and the 2009 Taking of Pelham 123 is the first movie to get real close to that. It’s always a question when it comes to remakes: Why remake this particular movie, and why remake it now? And director Tony Scott (Deja Vu, Domino) and screenwriter Brian Helgeland (Man on Fire , The Order) -- working from the same novel by John Godey [Amazon U.S.] [Amazon U.K.] that was the basis for the first film...
- 6/11/2009
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Review in a Hurry: Anyone expecting a typical big-budget Tony Scott action movie should be forewarned—about 80 percent of this subway heist flick consists of close-ups on John Travolta and Denzel Washington talking over an intercom. Fortunately, it's every bit as compelling as if they were shooting guns the whole time. Plus, the other 20 percent? Car crashes. The Bigger Picture: The third adaptation of John Godey's 1973 novel—Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw costarred in a 1974 movie, while a 1998 TV version pitted Edward James Olmos against Vincent D'Onofrio—gives the material a modern twist. No longer just a mercenary, the subway hijacker known only as "Ryder" (Travolta) is now an evil Wall...
- 6/11/2009
- E! Online
I first saw Joseph Sargent's original "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" at Film Forum less than a month before September 11th. The theater's later revival of the classic 1974 heist movie unspooled two weeks after the blackout of 2003. The coincidental timing of both engagements reinforced what makes Sargent's film (with a script by Peter Stone, based on John Godey's 1973 novel) one of the best movies about New York City: a group of disparate Gotham cranks, weirdoes and hotheads come together in the face of disaster. The original "Pelham" may have been made during the era when President Ford told the city, reeling from crime and near-bankruptcy, to "drop dead," but the passengers aboard that hijacked subway car and the team of negotiators led by Walter Matthau's grumpy Transit Authority cop proved they weren't going down without a few up-yours to the quartet of hoods who messed with them.
- 6/10/2009
- by Melissa Anderson
- ifc.com
The Los Angeles premiere of action-thriller movie "The Taking of Pelham 123" on Thursday, June 4 was a star-studded event with its leading actor Denzel Washington in attendance. The Walter Garber depicter was seen smiling to the cameras as he hit the red carpet of the event in white shirt, gray coat and matching pants. He finished off his look with a pair of white sneakers.
Obviously absent from the movie premiere held at Mann's Village Theatre in Westwood, CA was Denzel's co-star John Travolta. "I spoke to him three weeks ago," said Denzel of John, who is still in mourning following the death of his young son Jett Travolta early this year.
Also seen attending the affair were the likes of Bai Ling, AnnaLynne McCord, Taraji P. Henson, and Clifton Collins Jr. Reality TV star and socialite Kim Kardashian, actresses Aisha Tyler, Maggie Q, Melinda Clarke, and Cloris Leachman were also...
Obviously absent from the movie premiere held at Mann's Village Theatre in Westwood, CA was Denzel's co-star John Travolta. "I spoke to him three weeks ago," said Denzel of John, who is still in mourning following the death of his young son Jett Travolta early this year.
Also seen attending the affair were the likes of Bai Ling, AnnaLynne McCord, Taraji P. Henson, and Clifton Collins Jr. Reality TV star and socialite Kim Kardashian, actresses Aisha Tyler, Maggie Q, Melinda Clarke, and Cloris Leachman were also...
- 6/5/2009
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Movie Jungle has new interview and film clips in from "The Taking of Pelham 123," starring Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, Michael Rispoli and James Gandolfini. The remake of the 1974 film is helmed by Tony Scott. Brian Helgeland adapts the screenplay from the novel by John Godey. Catch this on June 12th. In The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Denzel Washington stars as New York City subway dispatcher Walter Garber, whose ordinary day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train. John Travolta stars as Ryder, the criminal mastermind who, as leader of a highly-armed gang of four, threatens to execute the train’s passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour. As the tension mounts beneath his feet, Garber employs...
- 6/3/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Movie Jungle has new interview and film clips in from "The Taking of Pelham 123," starring Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, Michael Rispoli and James Gandolfini. The remake of the 1974 film is helmed by Tony Scott. Brian Helgeland adapts the screenplay from the novel by John Godey. Catch this on June 12th. In The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Denzel Washington stars as New York City subway dispatcher Walter Garber, whose ordinary day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train. John Travolta stars as Ryder, the criminal mastermind who, as leader of a highly-armed gang of four, threatens to execute the train’s passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour. As the tension mounts beneath his feet, Garber employs...
- 6/3/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Michael Rispoli of "The Sopranos" will join the cast of "Rum Diary" alongside Johnny Depp, Aaron Eckhart, Richard Jenkins, Amber Heard and Giovanni Ribisi. Rispoli will play Bob Salas in the film. Filming is currently taking place in Puerto Rico. Based on the book by Hunter S. Thompson, this film stars Johnny Depp as a hard-drinking Paul Kemp, a journalist working for a newspaper in 1950s Puerto Rico. Amber Heard will play Chenault, the girlfriend of another journalist who cheats on him with Kemp and tries to get him to run away with her. Rispoli will next be seen in "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" directed by Tony Scott and written by Brian Helgeland form the novel by John Godey. He's also in "Kick-Ass" with Nicolas Cage, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong and Aaron Johnson. Matthew Vaughn directs that comedy actioner.
- 4/2/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
MySpace has debuted the second trailer for Tony Scott’s upcoming action-thriller The Taking of Pelham 123. The June 12 release stars Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, Michael Rispoli and James Gandolfini. A remake of the 1974 film starring Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw, which was based on the novel by John Godey, 123 centers on a group of armed men who hijack a New York subway train in demand of a hefty ransom. As the authorities try to negotiate with the hostage takers they wonder how the hijackers plan to get away.
- 4/1/2009
- by James Cook
- TheMovingPicture.net
What starts off as an ordinary day to New York City subway dispatcher Walter Garber quickly turns into nightmare when he learns that a subway train is being hijacked. Through a brand new trailer of "The Taking of Pelham 123" which debuted via MySpace, it can be seen that Garber played by Denzel Washington is sucked into the bloody game set by criminal mastermind Ryder.
Opened with clips showing a busy day in New York City, the trailer displays a sea of people crowding the street and doing their errands. Then comes John Travolta's Ryder. Making his way to a subway station, he quickly boards a train and hijacks it. The footage moves to Garber in the subway's headquarter.
Establishing contact with Pelham 123, he soon learns that it has been hijacked by a highly-armed gang, who threatens to execute passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour. Despite...
Opened with clips showing a busy day in New York City, the trailer displays a sea of people crowding the street and doing their errands. Then comes John Travolta's Ryder. Making his way to a subway station, he quickly boards a train and hijacks it. The footage moves to Garber in the subway's headquarter.
Establishing contact with Pelham 123, he soon learns that it has been hijacked by a highly-armed gang, who threatens to execute passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour. Despite...
- 4/1/2009
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
"The Taking of Pelham 123" trailer live! Starring Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, Michael Rispoli and James Gandolfini. Tony Scott directs the remake of the 1974 film now adapted by Brian Helgeland ("Man on Fire," "Cirque du Freak," "Nottingham")
The original film was directed by Joseph Sargent, adapted by Peter Stone and based on the novel by John Godey. It starred Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, Earl Hindman, James Broderick and Dick O'Neill. In The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Denzel Washington stars as New York City subway dispatcher Walter Garber, whose ordinary day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train. John Travolta stars as Ryder, the criminal mastermind who, as leader of a highly-armed gang of four, threatens to execute the train’s passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour. As the tension mounts beneath his feet,...
The original film was directed by Joseph Sargent, adapted by Peter Stone and based on the novel by John Godey. It starred Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, Earl Hindman, James Broderick and Dick O'Neill. In The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Denzel Washington stars as New York City subway dispatcher Walter Garber, whose ordinary day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train. John Travolta stars as Ryder, the criminal mastermind who, as leader of a highly-armed gang of four, threatens to execute the train’s passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour. As the tension mounts beneath his feet,...
- 2/13/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
"The Taking of Pelham 123" trailer live! Starring Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, Michael Rispoli and James Gandolfini. Tony Scott directs the remake of the 1974 film now adapted by Brian Helgeland ("Man on Fire," "Cirque du Freak," "Nottingham") The original film was directed by Joseph Sargent, adapted by John Godey and based on the novel by Peter Stone. It starred Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, Earl Hindman, James Broderick and Dick O'Neill.
- 2/13/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
"The Taking of Pelham 123" trailer live! Starring Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, Michael Rispoli and James Gandolfini. Tony Scott directs the remake of the 1974 film now adapted by Brian Helgeland ("Man on Fire," "Cirque du Freak," "Nottingham") The original film was directed by Joseph Sargent, adapted by John Godey and based on the novel by Peter Stone. It starred Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, Earl Hindman, James Broderick and Dick O'Neill.
- 2/13/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Here’s the first trailer for Tony Scott’s The Taking of Pelham 123, which stars Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, Michael Rispoli and James Gandolfini. It arrives in theaters June 12, 2009. A remake of the 1974 film starring Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw, which was based on the novel by John Godey, 123 centers on a group of armed men who hijack a New York subway train in demand of a hefty ransom. As the authorities try to negotiate with the hostage takers they wonder how the hijackers plan to get away.
- 2/13/2009
- by James Cook
- TheMovingPicture.net
Columbia Pictures have presented an intense look into "The Taking of Pelham 123" through the thriller's trailer. Said to be released in theaters on February 13 attached to "The International", the trailer courtesy of Yahoo! firstly serves as an introduction to Denzel Washington's character Walter Garber, what he does for a living and his ordinary days at work.
The video footage then cuts to present criminal mastermind Ryder, who is portrayed by John Travolta. Walking into a crowded subway station, Ryder quickly points his gun at Pelham 123's train operator and takes over the train. Soon after, he reveals to Garber that in exchange for the passengers he takes as hostages, he wants a large ransom that has to be paid within one hour. Under pressure to save the hostages, Garber uses his vast knowledge of the subway system in a battle to outwit Ryder.
Based on the John Godey novel,...
The video footage then cuts to present criminal mastermind Ryder, who is portrayed by John Travolta. Walking into a crowded subway station, Ryder quickly points his gun at Pelham 123's train operator and takes over the train. Soon after, he reveals to Garber that in exchange for the passengers he takes as hostages, he wants a large ransom that has to be paid within one hour. Under pressure to save the hostages, Garber uses his vast knowledge of the subway system in a battle to outwit Ryder.
Based on the John Godey novel,...
- 2/13/2009
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Columbia Pictures has released the movie trailer for The Taking of Pelham 123, which will be attached to The International this weekend. Based on the John Godey novel that spawned the 1974 film adaptation, Pelham 1 2 3 is directed by Tony Scott. Watch the trailer after the jump, and leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Click Here to Watch the Video
Denzel Washington stars as New York City subway dispatcher whose ordinary day is thrown into chaos by the hijacking of a subway train. John Travolta stars as the criminal mastermind and leader of a highly-armed gang of four who threatens to execute the train’s passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour. “As the tension mounts beneath his feet, Garber employs his vast knowledge of the subway system in a battle to outwit Ryder and save the hostages. But there’s one riddle Garber...
Click Here to Watch the Video
Denzel Washington stars as New York City subway dispatcher whose ordinary day is thrown into chaos by the hijacking of a subway train. John Travolta stars as the criminal mastermind and leader of a highly-armed gang of four who threatens to execute the train’s passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour. “As the tension mounts beneath his feet, Garber employs his vast knowledge of the subway system in a battle to outwit Ryder and save the hostages. But there’s one riddle Garber...
- 2/13/2009
- by Peter Sciretta
- Slash Film
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