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The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 poster

Movies that feel likeThe 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.

If you loved The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, the closest films we have are Spy Game (2001), The Last Stand (2013) and Premium Rush (2012). All three share The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3's gritty and tense feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013).

πŸ… 51% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 6.4 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Tony Scottgrittytensekinetic
12 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· Paramount Plus Premium

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If The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 hit the spot, these will too

Spy Game poster
Spy Game
2001 Β· dir. Tony Scott
πŸ… 64%β˜… 7.1action Β· crime Β· thrillerNetflix

Tony Scott directing both, with the same fingerprints on each

On the day of his retirement, a veteran CIA agent learns that his former protΓ©gΓ© has been arrested in China, is sentenced to die the next morning in Beijing, and that the CIA is considering letting that happen to avoid an international scandal.

The Last Stand poster
The Last Stand
2013 Β· dir. Kim Jee-woon
πŸ… 61%β˜… 6.3action Β· crime Β· thrillerPrime Video

Both keep coming back to the same thing: hostage

Ray Owens is sheriff of the quiet US border town of Sommerton Junction after leaving the LAPD following a bungled operation. Following his escape from the FBI, a notorious drug baron, his gang, and a hostage are heading toward Sommerton Junction where the police are preparing to make a last stand to intercept them before they cross the border. Owens is reluctant to become involved but ultimately joins in with the law enforcement efforts.

Premium Rush poster
Premium Rush
2012 Β· dir. David Koepp
πŸ… 75%β˜… 6.5crime Β· action Β· thriller

The same city underneath both: New York City

In Manhattan, a bike messenger picks up an envelope that attracts the interest of a dirty cop, who pursues the cyclist throughout the city.

Crank: High Voltage poster
Crank: High Voltage
2009 Β· dir. Mark Neveldine
πŸ… 64%β˜… 6.1action Β· thriller Β· crime

The same mix in both: grit, then tension

Chelios faces a Chinese mobster who has stolen his nearly indestructible heart and replaced it with a battery-powered ticker that requires regular jolts of electricity to keep working.

Unstoppable poster
Unstoppable
2010 Β· dir. Tony Scott
πŸ… 87%β˜… 6.8action Β· thriller

The same hand behind both of them: Tony Scott

The difference: Critics rated this one higher still

When a massive, unmanned locomotive roars out of control, the threat is more ominous than just a derailment. The train is laden with toxic chemicals, and an accident would decimate human life and cause an environmental disaster. The only hope of bringing the train to a safe stop is in the hands of veteran engineer Frank Barnes, and young conductor Will Colson, who must risk their lives to save those in the runaway's path. Inspired by true events.

Ninja: Shadow of a Tear poster
Ninja: Shadow of a Tear
2013 Β· dir. Isaac Florentine
πŸ… 100%β˜… 6.2action Β· crime Β· thrillerPrime Video

Crime built on momentum, twice over

Fight everyone and trust no one: it's the code of survival practiced by martial-arts master Casey Bowman after his life of domestic bliss is shattered by a savage act of violence. Vowing revenge, the fearless American stealthily tracks the killer from Osaka to Bangkok to Rangoon with the help of a wise and crafty sensei. His only clues: a series of victims whose necks bear the distinctive mark of strangulation by barbed wire. Fighting to avenge as well as to survive, Casey must sharpen his razor-like responses and take his battle skills to the next level, even using deep meditation to fake his own death. His target: the sinister drug lord Goro, who is flooding the streets with deadly meth cooked at his remote jungle factory. To prepare for his ultimate confrontation, Casey must finally become an invisible warrior worthy of the name Ninja. But just when his prey is cornered, an unexpected twist shows Casey that his battle is only beginning: he truly can trust no one.

Swordfish poster
Swordfish
2001 Β· dir. Dominic Sena
πŸ… 27%β˜… 6.5action Β· crime Β· thriller

Both are built on the same subject: hostage

Rogue agent Gabriel Shear is determined to get his mitts on $9 billion stashed in a secret Drug Enforcement Administration account. He wants the cash to fight terrorism, but lacks the computer skills necessary to hack into the government mainframe. Enter Stanley Jobson, a n'er-do-well encryption expert who can log into anything.

Safe poster
Safe
2012 Β· dir. Boaz Yakin
πŸ… 59%β˜… 6.5action Β· crime Β· thrillerPrime Video

Thriller with a pulse of grit, in both cases

After a former elite agent rescues a 12-year-old Chinese girl who's been abducted, they find themselves in the middle of a standoff between Triads, the Russian Mafia and high-level corrupt New York City politicians and police.

The Mechanic poster
The Mechanic
2011 Β· dir. Simon West
πŸ… 54%β˜… 6.5action Β· thriller Β· crimeParamount+

Tense action in both cases

Arthur Bishop is a 'mechanic' - an elite assassin with a strict code requiring professional perfection and total detachment. One of an elite group of assassins, Bishop may be the best in the business - with a unique talent for cleanly eliminating targets. When Harry McKenna, his close friend and mentor, is murdered, Harry's son comes to him with vengeance in his heart and a desire to learn Bishop's trade, signaling the birth of a deadly partnership.

From Paris with Love poster
From Paris with Love
2010 Β· dir. Pierre Morel
πŸ… 37%β˜… 6.4action Β· crime Β· thriller

Kinetic crime, and it commits to that

James Reese has a good job as an ambassador's aid in France, but his real passion is a side gigβ€”working in a minor role in the CIA. He would love to be a full-fledged agent and can't believe his luck when he lands an assignment with Charlie Wax. Trigger-happy Charlie soon has James crying for his desk job, but when he learns that the same guys they're trying to catch are after him, James realises that Charlie may be his only hope of survival.

RocknRolla poster
RocknRolla
2008 Β· dir. Guy Ritchie
πŸ… 60%β˜… 7.2action Β· crime Β· thriller

Both lean on grit more than on thriller

When a Russian mobster sets up a real estate scam that generates millions of pounds, various members of London's criminal underworld pursue their share of the fortune. Various shady characters, including Mr One-Two, Stella the accountant, and Johnny Quid, a druggie rock-star, try to claim their slice.

Transporter 2 poster
Transporter 2
2005 Β· dir. Louis Leterrier
β˜… 6.3action Β· thriller Β· crime

Action with a pulse of tension, in both cases

Professional driver, and former Special Forces officer, Frank Martin is living in Miami, where he is temporarily filling in for a friend as the chauffeur for a government narcotics control policy director and his family. The young boy in the family is targeted for kidnapping, and Frank immediately becomes involved in protecting the child and exposing the kidnappers.

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The best-reviewed films that share The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3’s defining feeling.