The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 10, 2025

For those of you who have experienced the pleasures (and, frankly, privileges) of being world travelers, it might not be so jokingly suggested that you can tell a lot about urban environments by their subway systems. Some overseas "undergrounds" offer almost Utopian visions of cleanliness and at least occasional modernity, with a generally well behaved "clientele", whereas the rough and tumble subterranean environments of, say, New York City can be a good deal more hardscrabble in both physical condition and human interaction. In that regard, this film's concept may actually not strain credulity all that much as it explores a bunch of Manhattan subway passengers being taken hostage by a group of supposed masterminds. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (the remake utilized Arabic numerals in the place of numbers spelled out) has had several previous releases on both 1080 and 4K UHD disc (see below), and now Arrow's UK branch is offering fans Limited Editions in either 1080 or 4K UHD.

As mentioned above, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three has had previous (Region A) releases in both 1080 and 4K UHD, and those interested can find quite a bit of information, including plot recaps, lists of supplements, and reactions to technical presentations in the following reviews:

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three Blu- ray review is Michael Reuben's take on the Metro Goldwyn Mayer 1080 release from 2011

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three Blu-ray review is Brian Orndorf's take on the Kino Lorber 1080 release from 2016

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 4K Blu-ray review is Svet Atanasov's take on the 4K release from Kino Lorber in 2022

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: While this is a standalone 4K release without a 1080 disc, I am offering screenshots from Arrow's standalone 1080 release as I think it actually provides a better representation of the look of the palette in particular, rather than offering screenshots from the 4K disc which are by necessity downscaled to 1080 and in SDR. Because this release does not include a 1080 disc, the 2K video score above has been intentionally left blank.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. Arrow's insert booklet frankly doesn't offer a ton of information on the transfer this time, with only the following generic verbiage:

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is presented in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio with mono and 5.1 audio. On the 4K Ultra HD edition, the film is presented in 4K resolution in HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

The restored 4K master was supplied by MGM via Park Circus.

Probably unsurprisingly and judging solely by the completely unscientific method of comparing screenshots, this looks very similar if not outright identical to Kino Lorber's 4K release for Region A, a release which also included a 1080 disc (per Arrow's standard operating procedure, they're offering standalone releases for each resolution). It's perhaps interesting to note in passing that the first Region A releases of this film were slightly misframed at 2.35:1. Svet's only real complaint with the KL release was crush, but maybe I'm becoming less of a curmudgeon, for while I would concur that this version (evidently like the KL version) may not be as bright as the old MGM release, I'm frankly not convinced that makes the MGM release more "accurate". Both of Arrow's releases offer a really beautiful reproduction of the palette, even if things are kind of gritty and obviously not reliant on whiz bang production design elements. But certain pops of color like the bright yellow tie Matthau wears almost jump off the screen at times, especially in this 4K version courtesy of HDR / Dolby Vision. I would actually argue that the HDR grades at least marginally aid in shadow detail, perhaps ameliorating some if not all crush. There are some noticeable highlights on the cooler end of the spectrum in several subway car scenes in this 4K version when compared to Arrow's 1080 release. Grain can be pretty thick at times, but encounters no real resolution issues.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three features LPCM Mono and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 options. Perhaps surprisingly, the mono track is nicely propulsive and has an unusually strong midrange and low end, both of which help give a lot of energy to both the glut of ambient environmental effects but probably especially David Shire's fantastic score. The surround track noticeably opens up both of those elements, again maybe a little surprisingly in terms of ambient environmental effects at least, since so much of the film takes place in cloistered environments. That said, listen for example on the surround track to some of the background clamor in both the subway environment but especially the headquarters scenes with Matthau for some subtle but winning immersion. For fans of Shire's score, I would highly recommend going down a rabbit hole of any number of great television detective series composers in the seventies especially (there are some fantastic Quinn Martin compilations on CD that come instantly to mind). Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Many of these supplements have been released on prior 1080 or 4K editions in Region A. I've marked what look to be the new supplements below with an asterisk (*).

• Commentary by Nathaniel Thompson and Steve Mitchell


• Commentary by Jim and Pat Healy


• Isolated Score Selections and Interview* offers the score in Dolby Digital 2.0 along with an interview of David Shire conducted by Michael Felsher.


• The Mapping of Pelham One Two Three * (HD; 13:24) is a fun tour of the film's locations by Bryan Reesman, with help from Jodi Shapiro, curator of the New York Transit Museum.


• Central to Pelham One Two Three * (HD; 19:07) is an appreciation by Barry Forshaw.


• 12 Minutes with Mr. Grey (HD; 12:02) is a 2016 interview with Hector Elizondo.


• Cutting on Action (HD; 19:09) is a 2016 interview with editor Gerald B. Greenberg.


• The Sound of the City (HD; 9:07) is a 2016 ihterview with composer David Shire.


• Shades of Grey (HD; 16:29) is a 2018 interview with Hector Elizondo.


• Above and Below (HD; 13:13) is a 2018 interview with director of photography Owen Roizman.


• Taking the Ride (HD; 7:39) is a 2018 tour of locations.


• The Making of Pelham One Two Three (HD; 6:08) is a vintage featurette featuring real life New York City transit policeman Carmine Foresta.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:33)


• TV Spot (HD; 00:32)


• Radio Spots (HD; 1:01)


• Image and Poster Gallery (HD; 2:20)

This limited edition features a reversible sleeve, along with a collector's booklet with some excellent essays. Packaging features a slipcover.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The tag line for this viscerally exciting film might well have been "just when you thought it was safe to take the subway again", except that would presuppose that it felt safe to take the subway to begin with. Arrow is offering a release with solid technical merits and some very appealing supplements. Recommended.