The Getaway (1994)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Admirable film.

Absolutely Fantastic

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Let me start to say, for purists, that Sam Peckinpah is one of my all time favorite directors and an inovator on staging action sequences and handling over-the-top violence to the screen and the original "The Getaway", starring the then couple Steve McQueen & Ali McGraw, remains untouchable and a cult classic of the action / crime / thriller genre. However, and even if i usually despise modern remakes (except in some cases), this Roger Donaldson's rendition of Peckinpah's cult flick is in fact a very good entry in the genre.By 1994, this Aussie director was already an established director in U.S.A. after he helm'd the political thriller "No Way Out" ('87) starring Kevin Costner in one of his first leading roles, Gene Hackman and Sean Young; the romance / drama "Cocktail" ('88) starring Tom Cruise and Elisabeth Shue or "White Sands" ('92), an extremely underrated crime / thriller film starring Willem Dafoe, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Samuel L. Jackson and Mickey Rourke and was chosen to fill Peckinpah's shoes directing this remake which Donaldson did with his peculiar sense of visual style, well-staged action sequences and a bunch of good actors giving life to vivid and colorful characters."The Getaway" moves frantically forward, with a great sense of pace and editing; the screenplay by Walter Hill, who also penned the original movie, based on the 1958 crime novel by Jim Thompson, is incisive and straight to the point, enhancing the 1972 version to the more sophisticated 90's, but without losing its soul and stamina on the process.The casting of the then couple, Alec Baldwin & Kim Basinger as the McCoy couple, provides almost the same McQueen / McGraw electric on screen chemistry and even if Baldwin wasn't on McQueen's level, let's be honest, who was ?The supporting cast is near perfection: the always sleazy and a riot to watch, James Woods (he would play almost the same character in the next year's "The Specialist" starring Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone and Eric Roberts); the forever underrated character actor, David Morse; the late Philip Seymour Hoffman (credited as Philip Hoffman) in one of his first major roles; "The Straight Story" beloved old timer, Richard Farnsworth and Burton Gilliam, but Michael Madsen as the quirky & vicious, Rudy Travis and Jennifer Tilly as his submissive girlfriend, Fran Carvey, made a cool looney couple that almost stole the movie from the leads.An interesting fact is that Madsen plays his character so Mickey Rourke-ish: his manneirisms and on-screen persona; the machismo, self-confident arrogance & misogynism; the eccentric urban cowboy clothes ("Wild Orchid"); the chopper and even the hairstyle (Rourke was sporting long blonde / reddish hair back in 1993 when this movie went into production, check "The Last Outlaw") that maybe it's possible that Mickey Rourke was the first choice for the role (he already worked with the screenwriter Walter Hill in "Johnny Handsome" ('89) and two years before with Donaldson in "White Sands", which he played Gorman Lennox, a very similar character to Rudy), but after the troublesome shooting of "Nine and a Half Weeks" ('86) and Baldwin's crescent stardom against Rourke's career decline, the couple probably vetoed to his casting.In short, "The Getaway" isn't by all means a masterpiece movie, neither the original was, it was unfairly bashed by critics and nominated for of few Razzies (the same Razzies that nominated Kubrick for worst director, can you get how laughable this Awards are ?), but aside of all the badmouthin, it's a very entertaining, sexy, steamy & stylish flick that can put the nowadays action / crime / thrillers to shame.I give it an 8, because it's a remake, but it's worthy of a 8.5 !!

Doc (Alec Baldwin) and Carol McCoy (Kim Basinger) are a married criminal couple. Rudy Travis (Michael Madsen) comes to them with a job. A drug lord wants to break out his nephew from American prison. In reality, he just wants to kill him. They bring him to Mexico. Rudy abandons Doc who is captured by the Mexican police. Carol uses all her sexual wilds to get mob boss Jack Benyon (James Woods) to help get Doc released. Jim Deer Jackson (David Morse) is Benyon's right hand thug. Benyon puts Doc in charge of a dog track robbery. He's forced to lead newcomer Frank Hansen (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and reunite with Rudy. Rudy tries to double-cross him again. He shoots Rudy who survives. Rudy first takes the Carveys hostage and then takes the wife Fran Carvey (Jennifer Tilly) as his partner.Relationship complications complicates this violent crime relationship movie. This is a remake of the 1972 Sam Peckinpah movie. Real life husband and wife Basinger and Baldwin inject problematic relationship flow. I understand the attempt but it's hard to fall for this couple. They are an old married couple who is just as ready to fight as to make passionate love. It's movie life come true and nobody will cry over a divorce. The violence is fitting for a Peckinpah remake but others have taken up the mantle and surpassed it. There are some interesting aspects to this movie but also enough problems to sink it.

Doc McCoy is put in prison because his partner flew off without him after exchanging a prisoner for a lot of money. Doc knows Jack Benyon, a rich man, is up to something big, so he tells his wife to tell him that he's for sale if Benyon can get him out of prison. Benyon pulls some strings and Doc McCoy is released again. Unfortunately he has to cooperate with the same person that got him to prison.....It's one of those films that never needed to be remade, but at the time, I'm guessing Basinger And Baldwin were the biggest couple in Hollywood, so why not do it again? The Marrying Man made a bundle, as did Love Affair. Oh hang on...But the point of the film is to entertain, and it does, as its one of the best looking action movies of 1994, and for once it treats the audience as an adult and is suitable as an action movie or couples, which is really rare.Baldwin is on the right side of tubby, but he over broods and it really gets to you after a while. Basinger does what. She normally does and smolders like a forties movie star.The rest of the cast are just there for the pay check. Woods does his bad guy who is a little prolific role, and is just there to ignite the passion between the two leads characters, and Madsen features in a really gloomy depressing subplot involving Jennifer Tilly, and its pretty bizarre.The action is good and its edited with a lot of respect, it just feels a little strange, despite the fact its enjoyable and fun, it feels too hasty and rushed.A lot more could have been done.But the one saving grace is at least they never remade it with Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher.

A retread remake with very little original stuff. Especially the dialog and set pieces are nothing more than a carbon creation with no imagination. There is some style and the film is palatable if not preferable to the original 1972 Sam Peckinpah/Jim Thompson movie. The much talked about Peckinpah violent chops have become standard Hollywood fare and there is nothing new here or even an attempt to time-stamp the presentation. This xerox of a film does cut and paste some new sex scenes but so what. It is explicit and erotic, but, it is the grit and the guts that makes it mark on the crime thriller and the sex is best left for the more lurid of these types. Alec Baldwin is prettier than Steve McQueen and Kim Basinger is prettier than Ali MacGraw.