Movies Like The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is a 1974 action, crime, thriller film from Joseph Sargent with a MovieMagicScore of 7.5/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Strawberry in the Supermarket and The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3.

Action Crime Thriller

Strawberry in the Supermarket

2003

An ex-soldier storms a supermarket and takes all the cashiers captive because one of them insulted his grandmother.

6.7

MagicScore

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

2009

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.

6.4

MagicScore

Street Fighter

1994

Colonel Guile and various other martial arts heroes fight against the tyranny of dictator M. Bison and his cohorts.

4.7

MagicScore

Touchez Pas au Grisbi

1954

Gentleman gangster Max and his partner, Riton, pull off their last, most successful heist and find themselves comfortable enough to retire in the style they enjoy. However, Max confides the details of the theft to his younger mistress, Josey -- who has secretly taken up with ambitious young rival gangster Angelo. Angelo then has Riton kidnapped and demands the stash of gold as ransom, which threatens Max's dreams of the perfect retirement.

7.2

MagicScore

I Spy

2002

When the Switchblade, the most sophisticated prototype stealth fighter created yet, is stolen from the U.S. government, one of the United States' top spies, Alex Scott, is called to action. What he doesn't expect is to get teamed up with a cocky civilian, World Class Boxing Champion Kelly Robinson, on a dangerous top secret espionage mission. Their assignment: using equal parts skill and humor, catch Arnold Gundars, one of the world's most successful arms dealers.

5.4

MagicScore

Dirty Harry

1971

When a madman dubbed 'Scorpio' terrorizes San Francisco, hard-nosed cop, Harry Callahan – famous for his take-no-prisoners approach to law enforcement – is tasked with hunting down the psychopath.

7.5

MagicScore

Crash Landing

2006

When a hostage situation arises on-board a private plane with the daughter of a billionaire on-board. Major John Masters (Sabato Jr.) teams up with Captain Williams (Michael Paré) to stop the terrorist and land the plane.

4.7

MagicScore

Suicide Kings

1997

Carlo, a former mobster, is abducted by five privileged young men desperate to raise a $2 million ransom to save the sister of a friend. As Carlo plays mind games, however, his captors splinter -- each wondering whether one of their own had a hand in the crime.

6.6

MagicScore

Fargo

1996

Jerry, a small-town Minnesota car salesman is bursting at the seams with debt... but he's got a plan. He's going to hire two thugs to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. It's going to be a snap and nobody's going to get hurt... until people start dying. Enter Police Chief Marge, a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing - and extremely pregnant - investigator who'll stop at nothing to get her man. And if you think her small-time investigative skills will give the crooks a run for their ransom... you betcha!

7.8

MagicScore

#10

The Disappearance of Alice Creed

2009

A rich man's daughter is held captive in an abandoned apartment by two former convicts who abducted her and hold her ransom in exchange for her father's money.

6.4

MagicScore

#11

Trapped

2002

When their daughter is abducted by experienced kidnappers, the Jennings turn the tables on their seemingly fool-proof plan.

6.2

MagicScore

#12

The Clearing

2004

When affluent executive Wayne Hayes is kidnapped by a disgruntled employee and held for ransom in a forest, Wayne’s wife is forced to reckon with the FBI agents as they negotiate with the kidnapper.

5.8

MagicScore

#13

Metro

1997

Roper, a hostage negotiator catches a murderous bank robber after a blown heist. The bank robber escapes and immediately goes after the man who put him behind bars.

5.7

MagicScore

#14

Operator

2015

When the daughter of veteran 911 call center operator Pamela, and her estranged husband Jeremy, a Senior Police Officer, is kidnapped and held hostage, they are left desperate, with no choice but to follow the kidnapper's rules: send messages through dispatch for all police and fire units to scatter to remote locations throughout the city where they are met with chaos. Not knowing who or why, they must race against the clock to make the choice of their lives: save the city — or save their daughter.

5.0

MagicScore

#15

A Life Less Ordinary

1997

A couple of angels, O'Reilly and Jackson, are sent to Earth to make sure that their next supervised love-connection succeeds. They follow Celine, a spoiled rich girl who has just accidentally shot a suitor and, due to a misunderstanding, is kidnapped by janitor Robert. Although Celine quickly frees herself, she stays with Robert for thrills. O'Reilly and Jackson pursue, hoping to unite the prospective lovers.

6.1

MagicScore

#16

'R Xmas

2001

A New York drug dealer is kidnapped, and his wife must try to come up with the money and drugs to free him from his abductors before Christmas.

6.2

MagicScore

#17

Oxygen

1999

When housewife Frances Hannon is abducted and buried alive, detective Madeline Foster is brought in. With only 24 hours before Frances' oxygen runs out, Madeline pursues the trail laid by a killer calling himself Harry Houdini. After capturing him, Madeline brings Harry back to the police station, but is unable to get him to confess where Frances is buried. As time runs down, Harry gets inside the head of unstable, alcoholic Madeline.

6.0

MagicScore

#18

Highest 2 Lowest

2025

When a titan music mogul, widely known as having the "best ears in the business", is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma.

5.6

MagicScore

#19

Reckless

2014

This stylish, sexually charged thriller revolves around two men who kidnap a woman and chain her to a bed as they await the ransom money. As the clock ticks, the woman discovers that she may have a relationship with one of the kidnappers that she never expected...and that the two men may have a relationship with each other that no one could have expected.

5.6

MagicScore

#20

Connected

2008

A debt collector receives a call from a woman who is kidnapped by an unknown gang. He thinks it is a joke but soon, he realises that it is not a prank.

6.4

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like The Taking of Pelham One Two Three?

The top films similar to The Taking of Pelham One Two Three by MovieMagicScore are Strawberry in the Supermarket (6.7), The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (6.4), Street Fighter (4.7). Each shares action/crime/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is The Taking of Pelham One Two Three worth watching?

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.5/10 from 583 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is The Taking of Pelham One Two Three?

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) is a action, crime, thriller film directed by Joseph Sargent, starring Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam.

Where can I find more recommendations like The Taking of Pelham One Two Three?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more action recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Strawberry in the Supermarket Movies like The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 Movies like Street Fighter Movies like Touchez Pas au Grisbi Movies like I Spy Movies like Dirty Harry

About movies like The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

This ranked list pairs The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), a action and crime and thriller film from Joseph Sargent, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Walter Matthau take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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