Top 30 Movies Filmed in New York City

Was The Taking of Pelham 123 filmed in New York City?

While this film is technically a remake of the original 1974 film, the added tech and special effects certainly give this version its own unique style. You add a cast that includes John Travolta, Denzel Washington, and the late James Gandolfini and you have an entertaining movie all throughout.

If you didn’t know a thing about New York City, the very fact that this movie begins (see above clip) in an MTA Subway stop, should give it right away where this movie is going to take place. The hijacking of Pelham 123, which is the 6 train that goes all the way to Pelham Bay Park in The Bronx, takes place in Grand Central.

Some of the movie was actually filmed at the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Astoria, Queens. There are scenes that are shot in Brooklyn and DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) section of the city. The scene in which Washington shoots Travolta is on the Manhattan Bridge. This movie doesn’t escape the underground world that the subway system has access to, but it still instills fear of any thought of this happening—especially with so many passengers on a daily basis.