The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

Dir. Joseph Sargent. 1974, 104 mins. 35mm. With Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo. One of the great New York movies, bar none, Joseph Sargent’s fleet, funny, and frightening subway hijacking tale is both a crackerjack thriller and a slice of life in the Big Apple smack dab in the mid-seventies. Just before leaving office, Mayor Lindsay gave permission for it to be filmed on location—mainly in the tunnel of the abandoned Court Street station in Brooklyn and outside the subway entrance on 28th Street and Park Avenue South. The mayor is a character, but the movie is stolen by Lower East Side born Walter Matthau’s jaundiced police inspector—right through to the delicious final freeze frame. 

Tickets: $17.50 / $12 senior and students / $10 youth / free for MoMI members. There is a $1.50 transaction fee per ticket for all online purchases. The cost of admission may be applied toward a same-day purchase of a membership. 

Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission.