Movie

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

1974 · 105 min

A ticking-clock hostage thriller that crackles with grimy city wit, procedural banter and mounting dread, ending on a deliciously wry note.

Tagline: We are going to kill one passenger a minute until New York City pays us 1 million dollars.
Overview: In New York, armed men hijack a subway car and demand a ransom for the passengers while the authorities question about the method of their escape.

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How it feels

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Tone: tensestrength 3 of 3
cynicalstrength 2 of 3
satiricalstrength 2 of 3
darkstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: crime
power
class
deception
justice
Places: big city
workplace
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: ensemble
single location
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex none

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	5.5
Horror	1.5
Humour	5.5
Realism	8
Romance	0.5
Tension	8
Darkness	5.5
Complexity	6
Emotional weight	5

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Details

Genres: crime, thriller, action, comedy
Directed by: Joseph Sargent
Written by: Peter Stone
Starring: Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Héctor Elizondo, Earl Hindman, James Broderick, Dick O'Neill, Lee Wallace
Music: David Shire
Cinematography: Owen Roizman
Runtime: 105 min
Country: United States of America
Languages: English

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The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

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