The Getaway (1972)

It is a performances centric movie

I wanted to but couldn't!

A Disappointing Continuation

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Pragmatic and resolute career criminal Doc McCoy (the always cool Steve McQueen in fine steely form) gets released from prison only to be forced by corrupt big wig Jack Benyon (a splendidly sleazy portrayal by Ben Johnson) to rob a bank. After the heist goes awry, Doc and his dutiful wife Carol (a solid and affecting performance by the lovely Ali MacGraw) go on the run.Director Sam Peckinpah, working from a hard-hitting script by Walter Hill, tells the gripping story with remarkably meticulous detail and precision (the fumbled robbery and a harrowing set piece that takes place inside of a garbage truck in particular rate as total pips), vividly evokes a harsh world in which both loyalty and morality are completely up for grabs, generates plenty of nerve-rattling tension, and stages the rousing action set pieces with breathtaking skill. Moreover, the strained romantic relationship between Doc and Carol gives this film a surprising amount of genuinely touching heart. The top-rate supporting cast helps a lot: Al Lettieri as scurvy double-crossing brute Rudy Butler, Sally Struthers as ditsy slut Fran Clinton, Jack Dodson as Fran's meek husband Harold, Bo Hopkins as sleazy hotel owner Laughlin, Richard Bright as a weaselly small-time thief, Bo Hopkins as the easygoing Frank Jackson, and Slim Pickens as a helpful good ol' boy pick-up truck driver. The get-down funky score by Quincy Jones hits the right-on groovy spot. Lucien Ballard's crisp widescreen cinematography offers a wealth of stunning visuals. But it's the impressive way that Peckinpah grounds everything in a sordidly plausible everyday reality that in turn makes this movie quite resonant and powerful. A real corker.

No need to recap the plot. It's 1972, so if it's Steve McQueen, you know there's going to be slam-bang car chases and maybe one smile. Plus, if it's Sam Peckinpah, you know there's going to be plenty of shooting and red stuff. So how can action fans lose. Okay, so the movie's second half is more than a stretch, but who cares, what with all the bang-bang action going on. Speaking of bang-bang, there's dippy Sally Struthers, giggling every time she strips. Lucky Lettieri. Too bad he's too full of holes to take full advantage. Speaking of full advantage, poor Mc Queen. Prison does something to a guy, like maybe stifling his biological prowess, but then McGraw's patiently understanding. Then too, I really like Steve's bowl haircut, just the sort of clip-clip a prison barber passes out to guys standing in line. And catch his field work sunburn. Kudos to Steve for not caring about Hollywood looks. However, I would recommend a few thespian lessons for McGraw. She's a whole lot prettier than she is accomplished. But then maybe it's the script that fogs up her character. Not so for Lettieri. He's plain evil and enough to scare the pants off Schwarzeneger. Whoops, that's an even scarier thought than Lettieri.Anyhow, it's a rip-roaring two hours with hardly a let-up. So fasten your seat belts, and let Steve punch it up.

Anything Tarentino does today, Peckinpah was doing 40 years ago. Like all Sam's films, this is timeless. Because of the mindless, moronic, boorish and abusive flak she's been getting on this website, I can't help saying that Ali McCoy's acting in her role as McQueen's wife was flawlessness personified. I cannot imagine anyone else playing this part with greater poise and presence. However, I'm British. McQueen is good on the whole, but I equally can't help saying that he tends to annoy and irritate me slightly. Perhaps it's because he always seems a little bit full of himself, setting out to steal whatever scene he's in. He watches himself being cool, especially without dialogue. And he doesn't do all his own stunts, as it's claimed.None of this matters, since the film is directed by Peckinpah, who is very clearly one of America's consistently great film directors. His films get better the more you watch them, though some of them are remarkably unpleasant. Not this one, though Lettieri comes close. I must watch it again, to see why Mrs McCoy is collecting all those offensive remarks for no reason. This movie is perhaps the nearest Sam ever gets to a comedy. It's light on philosophy. The baddies get theirs, and the good guys get away with murder. No honour among these thieves.

King of cool Steve McQueen teams with "Bloody Sam" Peckinpah for this thoroughly engaging story of a couple on the lam following a botched robbery.Walter Hill adapts the novel by Jim Thompson in this story of Carter "Doc" McCoy (McQueen), a criminal currently doing time. His wife Carol (Ali MacGraw) manages to secure his release by playing up to crooked parole board chief Jack Beynon (Ben Johnson); Doc and Carol are then made to participate in a bank robbery which goes as wrong as movie lovers everywhere could expect it to. Doc and Carol have to make their way across Texas to Mexico and safety while being trailed by Rudy Butler (Al Lettieri), a vengeance minded member of the gang.The cast simply couldn't be better in this sexy, slick, violent production; even MacGraw isn't bad as the wife with a loyalty to her man through thick and thin. McQueen once again has an undeniable presence on screen and the viewer can believe that he's going to keep going despite the odds. Johnson is enjoyably slimy, Lettieri scores as a truly rotten creep, and Richard Bright, Jack Dodson, Dub Taylor, Bo Hopkins, and Roy Jenson all do well in assorted memorable bits. The ever affable Slim Pickens doesn't appear until near the end of the picture, but he helps to close it on a very ingratiating final note.Peckinpah is in very fine form here, creating a milieu where moral considerations often go out the window. Doc isn't necessarily a "good guy", yet we still can't help but root for him, especially when characters like Beynon and Butler are even worse. Just to give people an idea of how sleazy Butler is, he thinks nothing of dallying with vapid, sexpot blonde Fran (Sally Struthers) in front of her weakling husband Harold (Dodson). The many vignettes along the way keep you eagerly watching - Doc is forced to pursue another thief (Bright) to get his own ill gotten money back, for one - but the highlight is undeniably the incredibly tense sequence aboard the garbage truck. Peckinpah once again demonstrates a real flair for the kind of stylized violence he perfected in "The Wild Bunch", with blood spurting and many squibs exploding.People can hardly fail to notice that again the director is not about to go the politically correct route, as a resentful Doc, still not happy about what Carol did with Beynon, slaps her around. Yet, when Doc punches Frans' lights out later, it actually provokes a reaction of relief from the audience because it puts an end to her shrill whining.Overall the film makes for fine entertainment. Even at two hours and three minutes, it's remarkably well paced and tension filled, and it never falters, kicking into gear for a rousing final act. Highly recommended.10 out of 10.