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The Taking Of Pelham 123 [DVD] [1974]
 
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The Taking Of Pelham 123 [DVD] [1974]

DVD ~ Walter Matthau
4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
RRP: £12.99
Price: £4.98 & eligible for Free UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Frequently Bought Together

The Taking Of Pelham 123 [DVD] [1974] + Charley Varrick [DVD] [1973] + Hopscotch [DVD] [1980]
Total RRP: £36.97
Price For All Three: £16.84

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Taking Of Pelham 123 [DVD] [1974]
94% buy the item featured on this page:
The Taking Of Pelham 123 [DVD] [1974] 4.5 out of 5 stars (22)
£4.98
Charley Varrick [DVD] [1973]
3% buy
Charley Varrick [DVD] [1973] 4.7 out of 5 stars (7)
£5.88
Hopscotch [DVD] [1980]
2% buy
Hopscotch [DVD] [1980] 4.8 out of 5 stars (4)
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The Conversation [DVD] [1974]
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Product details

  • Actors: Walter Matthau, Lee Wallace, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo
  • Directors: Joseph Sargent
  • Format: Dubbed, PAL
  • Language English
  • Subtitles: Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: MGM Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: 29 April 2002
  • Run Time: 100 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000063BMF
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,581 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Special Features
French\German\Italian\Spanish
English\German
English
Region 2
Mono English French German Italian Spanish
Mono
Original Theatrical Trailer
Interactive Menu
Chapter Selection
Danish\Dutch\English\French\German\Italian\Norwegian\Spanish\Swedish


Synopsis
Four ruthless gunmen (played by Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, and Earl Hindman) take over a New York City subway and hold the passengers for ransom. They threaten to shoot one each minute until a million dollar ransom is fully paid. Walter Matthau portrays the transport cop determined to stop the criminals. The tense thriller is based on the book by John Godey.

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Customer Reviews

22 Reviews
5 star:
 (13)
4 star:
 (6)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (22 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Best thriller of the Seventies?, 29 April 2002
By A Customer
The 70's were a fertile period for thrillers..."French Connection", "Dirty Harry", "Charley Varrick", etc. In my opinion "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" is the best of the lot. It thrills like no other movie of the period, everything gels, the script, the direction the music (oh the music, hats off to David Shire for scoring the the best ever twelve tone funk score), the editing, the locale, the cast. And what a locale...this must be the best New York-based film ever; I suspect New Yorkers look at this and go..yeah that's us alright. The characters and the script are a joy...the film is densely populated but even the most minor of characters are graced with eminently quotable lines, and the casting..Walter Matthau rounds off his run of "straight" roles in the early 70's with a fabulous turn here, all sarcastic wit and scathing come-backs..Robert Shaw turns in highly believable perfomance as a mercenary turned hijacker in what must be the prototype of the Brit-as-bad-guy cycle that everyone thinks started with Die Hard...and Jerry Stiller (Ben's Dad) has a good time as Patrone the world-weary and sarcastic transit cop. But the list is endless, the mayor, his aide, the chief of police, the hostages, everyone is outstanding. The script, by Peter Stone is a masterclass in entertaining exposition. It is also frequently laugh-out-loud funny...the humour deriving not from the wish to turn the film into a comedy, but rather the fact that Stone has given these guys a rich sense of humour that naturally develops as the frenetic events unfold. In fact, the juxtaposition of the humour and hard-edged thrills is what makes this film work over and over again...you laugh at a genuinely funny line and then are thrust into (for instance) a frantic, heart-pounding, cross-city race against time and you're in a such great mood because of the wit of the scipt just beforehand, that the action is heightend and your involverment is likewise increased; and that good-vibe/hard action momentum just snowballs all through the movie. In all, this is an essential purchase for anyone who enjoys pared down, superbly scripted thrills. A five-star classic.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Top Tier Drama, 6 Aug 2007
By Mark Angus "Sound Guy" (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
For me, the 70s were a golden era for film. With directors temporarily freed from the restrictions of the studio system, there was an outpouring of original drama, and many long-standing actors suddenly found themselves at the height of their powers.

Robert Shaw is one of those whose huge talent was best showcased in that era. The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3 is sandwiched in between The Sting and Jaws on his resume, but deserves as much admiration as those two blockbusters. Shaw's character Mr Blue, a precursor to Tarantino's multicoloured mobsters, has a devious plan for a robbery, and only Walter Matthau's jaded subway controller can see what's happening deep beneath the city streets. Their fantastic scenes together are all the more remarkable for being conducted almost entirely over the phone. Shaw brings the steel, Matthau brings the New York grit and reminds us that it wasn't just Lemmon who could branch out into serious drama.

You can't really see Hollywood making a film like this today, there would have to be some sort of pyrotechnic explosion and chase across Central Park before the denouement. And there's the rub, as Pelham 1-2-3 delivers one of the best final scenes in cinema, and not a stuntman in sight.

Shaw would deliver a few more heavyweight performances before his untimely death, but for director Joseph Sargent this was the highlight of a long, mainly TV, career. The DVD is Widescreen, but sadly only contains the original mono soundtrack. It would be nice to see a remastered version, but this transfer still delivers the goods.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The Best of 74, 21 Nov 2008
By G. R. Donaldson (Great Britain) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is without question one of the best thrillers of the decade. Unique I feel in the genre for its mix of comedy and violence. Similar but superior to Arthur Hillers much underrated Silver Streak.The combination of the world weary Walter Matthau and Roberts Shaws ice cold crook is I feel the balance that makes the film work so well. The supporting cast are all excellent including Ben Stillers dad Jerry. Any completists reading this you have to buy this DVD and give it pride of place in your seventies thriller collection. Its a crying shame its about to be remade there has already been a ghastly low budget TV movie version. God knows what twenty first century Holllywood will make of this classic. Mincemeat I presume.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable
Great Film. Surprisingly funny in parts. Excellent acting from Walter Mathieu. Recommend this if you enjoy similar movies from the 70's.
Published 2 days ago by David Sharkey

5.0 out of 5 stars A top-rate movie
Four men armed with machine guns hijack a New York City subway train, throwing the city into chaos. They threaten to kill a hostage every minute unless the city of New York pays... Read more
Published 8 days ago by A. Whitehead

5.0 out of 5 stars bloody brilliant
One of the lost masterpieces of American 70's thrillers. There is not a performance wasted and everything about this film is flawless.
What a shame it is going to be remade.
Published 2 months ago by Jordan Jerome Stone

5.0 out of 5 stars Great 1970s Hijack film
The hijack story was prevalent in the 1970s but it was of course always planes. we now know that hi jacking planes can be a deadly activity with 9/11. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Peter Wade

5.0 out of 5 stars Top Class Thriller
I watched this movie again recently after a number of years and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Everything about the movie shines- the settings, script, performances and... Read more
Published 14 months ago by haunted

4.0 out of 5 stars A real must-see thriller!
If you've not seen it, this is a film to take you by surprise, a true thriller - taut and simple. Taken from the novel of the previous year, it packs a punch where many in a... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Andy Millward

5.0 out of 5 stars Udderrated Thriller with a Class Cast
The Taking of Pelham 123 is a standout 1970s thriller for several reasons: It was well acted, had a taut and funny script, and it was welL directed with a music score that was... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Simon W. Cameron

5.0 out of 5 stars The Taking Of Pelham 123
This film is without doubt a superb masterpiece of cinematic entertainment. From the outstanding acting and suspenseful soundtrack to the New York scenery and didactic lighting,... Read more
Published 16 months ago by D. Howard

4.0 out of 5 stars A thrilling thriller
This 70's thriller is an underrated film, more like 4.5 stars for me. With a good cast including Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw, taught direction, and a really good script... Read more
Published on 13 Oct 2006 by S J Buck

5.0 out of 5 stars Explosive Nostalgia
Since seeing this work of genius as a young boy(1974), the incredible blending and melding of 'heart-beat skipping' tension with a 'side-splitting' humor has branded this movie a... Read more
Published on 10 April 2006 by D Spear

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