The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

Name: The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
Genre: Action, Thriller, Crime
Released: June 12, 2009
Duration: 106 min
Rating: 55
Cast: Denzel Washington, John Travolta

2009

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 34 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 176 Ratings

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6.3

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6.3	Your Score
6.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 176 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Columbia Pictures | Release Date: June 12, 2009 | R

Starring: Denzel Washington, John Travolta

Summary: In The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, New York City subway dispatcher, Walter Garber's, day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train. 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 theIn The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, New York City subway dispatcher, Walter Garber's, day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train. 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 his vast knowledge of the subway system in a battle to outwit Ryder and save the hostages. But there’s one riddle Garber can't solve: even if the thieves get the money, how can they possibly escape? (Sony Pictures)… Expand

Director: Tony Scott

Genre(s): Action, Thriller, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 106 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Peter Travers

It's a first-class ride. All aboard. Read full review

Joe Neumaier

A fast and relentless hostage thriller that never stops. Read full review

Claudia Puig

The new Pelham takes the chilling original premise and modifies it for an era steeped in technology, making for an energetic and engrossing adaptation. Read full review

Ty Burr

By itself, the new "Pelham" is a solid, suspenseful tale all over again, so long as it stays in the subway tunnels and airless offices of the transit department. Read full review

David Edelstein

Watching this Pelham--a money job from its conception--you can believe that there's no other motivation on Earth. Read full review

Liam Lacey

An efficiently engineered piece of studio product, enjoyable enough at times, but with an unmistakable assembly-line quality. Read full review

Andrew O'Hehir

Disposable crap. Read full review

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User Reviews

LoganH

Nov 3, 2009

Actors in this movie seem like they were given a lot of freedom in this movie and just have fun. Denzel and Travolta are amazing in this movie.

0 of 1 users found this helpful

BobK

Jun 29, 2009

I'm surprised this movie got such mediocre reviews. It was good entertainment and well worth the admission. It's been a long time since I've seen the original - maybe I'll try and rent it.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

TomS

Jun 14, 2009

All action. Not a boring moment. A lot of fun.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

ChadS.

Jun 14, 2009

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Pioneering filmmakers Auguste and Louis Lumiere would be proud. Recalling a nineteenth century bijou audience's reaction to a train arriving at a station(from the short subject film "L'arrive d'un train a la ciotat"), a The more things change, the more they stay the same. Pioneering filmmakers Auguste and Louis Lumiere would be proud. Recalling a nineteenth century bijou audience's reaction to a train arriving at a station(from the short subject film "L'arrive d'un train a la ciotat"), a young woman backs away from her computer screen when one of the terrorists discovers her boyfriend's laptop. Since "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" isn't a Japanese horror movie, her agitated state caused by the approaching man is unwarranted. She doesn't cover her face like a moviegoer would during the scary parts(for instance, Hideo Nakata's "Ringu"); she forgets about the physical laws of demarcation, just like those patrons who fled their seats from the speeding locomotive circa 1897. She forgets her twenty-first century sophisticated self for a split second and cowers as if her life was in mortal danger. But a lot has indeed changed since 1974: a self-reflexive moment comments on the Joeph Sargent original, in which Camonetti(John Turturro), the official hostage negotiator, tries to replace Walter Garber(Denzel Washington) as the lead actor by taking over the impending crisis. Ryder(John Travolta), despite being the story's antagonist, on an extra-diegetic level, performs textually as the film's advocate for social change, when he restores Walter to his rightful spot of being the man in charge(the leading man). Sharing the same first name with the original film's star(Walter Matthau played Lt. Garber in the early-seventies "classic"), not only does "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" pay tribute to the late actor, it also comments discreetly on colorblind casting, in which a "man of color" can play a role originally written for a white actor, as Washington did in a fairly recent Broadway production of William Shakespeare's "Julius Cesar" where he played Brutus.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

RayzorMoose

Nov 16, 2013

The Taking of Pelham is very entertaining.
Overly qualified actors with an average to poor script mixed with great execution. Plot holes plague this otherwise exciting film, and the directing is good. The film is well paced and the entertainment value is great. The last half of the movieThe Taking of Pelham is very entertaining.
Overly qualified actors with an average to poor script mixed with great execution. Plot holes plague this otherwise exciting film, and the directing is good. The film is well paced and the entertainment value is great. The last half of the movie then becomes sloppy and loses some momentum.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

LaszloS

Nov 9, 2009

What was the ingenious twist in this movie? That the bad guy is making money on the stock exchange? That the good guy follows the bad guy after he had a chance to escape. No. It s a disappointment. The story could be done in 15 minutes also.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

Robert

Jun 17, 2009

The movie was good to start and then fell apart completely. Whoever writes this crap should be arrested for impersonating a writer. Let me ask a question? Would someone just released from prison use his own name and invest millions but never consummate the trade to lock up a profit? And The movie was good to start and then fell apart completely. Whoever writes this crap should be arrested for impersonating a writer. Let me ask a question? Would someone just released from prison use his own name and invest millions but never consummate the trade to lock up a profit? And would that person risk his own life instead of hiring thugs to pull off his masterplan for chump change? Would a mild mannered transit worker who rides the trains to and from work suddenly learn how to shoot a gun and drive thru the streets of NY like Evil Knievel? And if a black man ran around the streets of NY waving a gun do you think that somewhere someone may have called a policeman? And if a subway train is roaring out of control on elevated tracks do you think that one of the passengers might dial 911 on their cell to advise that there is no motorman? And there's an open computer the entire time. There were more plot holes in this movie than swiss cheese. After the movie is over you start thinking and nothing makes any sense. Just awful.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

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69	#69 Most Discussed Movie of 2009
75	#75 Most Shared Movie of 2009