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THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE

  • Dir. Joseph Sargent
  • USA
  • 1974
  • 104 min.
  • R
  • 35mm
  • Assistive Listening
  • Hearing Loop
THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE

Part of Heist!

In New York City, a criminal gang led by the ruthless “Mr. Blue” (Robert Shaw) hijacks a subway car and threatens to start shooting one passenger per minute unless they receive $1 million in cash from the city within an hour. On the other end of the line, crusty veteran transit policeman Zachary Garber (Walter Matthau) has his hands full dealing with the mayor’s office and his hotheaded fellow cops — while also trying to deliver the ransom before the deadline expires.

“The kind of gritty, relentless thriller that could only come from the ‘70s, Joseph Sargent’s subway suspenser is a hardboiled treat.” —Will Thomas, Empire

“What's good about PELHAM's example of the form is that the performances are allowed enough leeway so that we care about the people, not the plot mechanics. And what could have been formula trash turns out to be fairly classy trash, after all.” —Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times (1974)

“Throughout, there's a skillful balance between the vulnerability of New Yorkers and the drastic, provocative sense of comedy that thrives all over our sidewalks.” —Nora Sayre, New York Times

The Belcourt Theatre does not provide advisories about subject matter or potential triggering content, as sensitivities vary from person to person.

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