The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day's work for dispatcher Walter Garber into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime.
Critics Sentiment
Walter Garber begins negotiating with Ryder for ten million dollars
Emergency Services sniper bitten by rat accidentally kills Ramos
Sharp decline from the tense early negotiation scenes to the implausible sniper accident, dropping 1.2 points as the film abandoned character-driven tension for contrived action beats.
Reviews show the film started strong with praised performances from Washington and Travolta in the negotiation scenes, but gradually declined as Tony Scott's frenetic direction took over. Critics consistently noted the film worked best in its dialogue-heavy moments but suffered when it shifted toward conventional action movie spectacle, never quite deciding whether it wanted to be a character study or a summer blockbuster.
Full cast
Showing 20 of 64
Denzel Washington
Walter Garber
John Travolta
Ryder
John Turturro
Lt. Camonetti
Luis Guzmán
Phil Ramos
James Gandolfini
Mayor
Michael Rispoli
John Johnson
Gary Basaraba
Jerry Pollard, motorman
Alex Kaluzhsky
George, teen hostage
Alice Kremelberg
George's Girlfriend
Katherine Sigismund
Mother-hostage
Jake Siciliano
Boy hostage
Gbenga Akinnagbe
Wallace, hostage
Jason Butler Harner
Hostage who can't urinate
Victor Gojcaj
Bashkim, hijacker
Robert Vataj
Emri, hijacker
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor
Therese Garber
John Benjamin Hickey
Deputy Mayor LaSalle
Ramón Rodríguez
Delgado, MTA worker
Tonye Patano
Regina, conductor
Ty Jones
Sniper
Crew
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