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'The Getaway' is Sam Peckinpah in gun for hire mode making a commercial heist-gone-wrong/lovers-on-the-run movie. He tried to do something similar later in the Seventies with 'Convoy', but that one strayed too far into studio compromise and was nowhere near as successful on an artistic level. Even though one gets the feeling that the movie's star Steve McQueen was calling the shots, Peckinpah still manages to add some of his trademark flamboyant violence and moral ambiguity to what is, let's face it, essentially an action movie. And I must say it is a very good action movie at that, and one many directors today working in this often tired and lazy genre could learn a thing or two from concerning suspense, drama and genuine excitement. The less you know about Jim Thompson's original novel the more you will enjoy this movie. Walter Hill (future director of 'The Warriors' and 'Southern Comfort') takes most of the basic plot, but leaves out the brilliant final chapter set in the hellish criminal haven El Ray. Apparently this was at the insistence of Steve McQueen who thought it too depressing. I also would guess that McQueen influenced Hill to alter the character of Doc McCoy from the book's charming sociopath to a more traditional tough-but-still-fairly decent career criminal. Maybe McQueen felt more comfortable pulling that style off, which is odd because he showed a lot more depth in Peckinpah's low key 'Junior Bonner'. In this one respect 'The Getaway's inferior 1990s remake was closer to Thompson's original spirit by casting Alec Baldwin in the same role. Anyway, if you forget about the book, and accept this movie for what it is, and not what it might have been it is a taut and impressive thriller. McQueen and the beautiful Ali McGraw (then husband and wife) show some real chemistry and are consistently watchable. Peckinpah uses many of his regular dependable character actors (Bo Hopkins, Dub Taylor) to support them, including a first rate Ben Johnson ('The Wild Bunch') in an uncharacteristically nasty role. Al Letteri ('The Godfather') also impresses as McQueen's conniving colleague, Slim Pickens ('Dr Strangelove') as a helpful old geezer, Sally Struthers ('All In The Family') as a blonde bimbo, and the underrated Richard Bright ('Vigilante', 'Crimewave', 'The Godfather') has a scene stealing bit as a con-man who bites off more than he can chew. 'The Getaway' is by no means Peckinpah's most interesting or impressive movie but it is solid entertainment that is hard to beat, and should be watched by any self-respecting Seventies movie fan.

The Getaway has the very important "Three S's" which are so crucial to any film: Style, Substance, and Steve McQueen.

This film, right behind PAPILLON, is definitely my favorite McQueen vehicle -- it's a big, BIG film (which makes sense, it takes place in Texas), has an epic feel, yet at the same time is very gritty and very honest in its approach to storytelling. The simplistic yet larger-than-life style of THE GETAWAY makes this flick a great watch on a Saturday Night.

Oh, and you can't go wrong with Steve McQueen. At his side is *THE* girl-next-door type, the ultra-likable Ali MacGraw. Their chemistry is very obvious (which would make a lot of sense, the two had an on-set affair which was followed by a five year marriage), and it carries the film. The score, composed by Quincy Jones, hits all the right notes in all the right spots, and is definitely pivotal in giving THE GETAWAY its "feel." The supporting cast couldn't be better-suited to their roles. The bad guys are really bad, and quite despicable. Despite the sinister villains, this early 70s gem has a sense of humor. At times the more "innocent" characters are mocked by the situations they find themselves in, much to your amusement or disgust (I, for one, found laugh-out-loud moments all the way through). By the very nature of a McQueen film, the characters are all "approachable," and down to earth in their own strange way. In a nutshell, a simplistically epic film that finds the time to not take itself so seriously.

While THE GETAWAY may not be the best to bring out at a movie get-together due to its slightly slow pacing and early 70s narrative (which, unfortunately, due to the breakneck music-video pacing of most "modern" films, tends to turn off anyone with a less-than-sufficient attention span), it is definitely worth a purchase, and something that you will be proud to say that you've seen.

Long Live McQueen, and Have a RIB, Harold!

Was wondering why they don't make films like this anymore. Then it dawned on me. It has ambiguous morals and doesn't particularly ask for or seek redemption. The hero is a killer and bank robber, he says little and therefore you should have to work hard to empathize with him. But it comes easy because everyone else around Doc McCoy is ten times worse than he is. And Doc is played by Steve McQueen. A magnificent brooding presence who's character doesn't stop to question his actions, because if he did he'd die or get arrested. And this is where it is so much better than a contemporary film of the same vein. It's not made with actors who are scared that their image might be tarnished or misunderstood, it is not made by film-makers who are scared they might upset someone, it is not made by people who particularly need to be loved. So what you get is a story that rings true, a piece of fiction that at no time stops to apologize for itself. It grabs you, says this is what I am, and if you're hooked then great. If not go and watch Bambi or something.

A bona fide classic piece of storytelling.

The Getaway (1972)

A striking, very characteristic period piece that owes something (a lot) to "Bonnie and Clyde" from five years earlier. Steve McQueen is strong, in his silently brooding, intense way. And he rules the movie. His counterpart (his wife, actually), is played by Ali MacGraw (of "Love Story" fame) who is predictably a bit drab, though she fits the mold of the times.

So who makes the movie even slightly great? The photographer and editor, and therefore the director, Sam Pickinpaw, who had risen up with "The Wild Bunch" and "Straw Dogs," both better films than this one. The combination of natural, smart visuals (thanks to Lucian Ballard) and amazingly back and forth editing that would make Christopher Nolan proud (thanks to Robert Wolfe, who would go on to do a number of interesting films), the movie has punch and fresh energy.

The plot is fairly straight up—Doc McCoy gets out of jail thanks to a "favor" by his wife with a crime king. The debt is paid with more crime, and so the movie follows the new heist. Parallel to this is the reunification of McCoy with his wife. And she is involved in the new job, so the interweaving continues.

So in a way, the plot does its job keeping the other elements in place. The movie is fast, and has a lot of changes and interesting aspects. The settings are great—Texas in the early 1970s— and the feeling of small crime in the big world makes a great backdrop. McQueen is smart and wily, and a lot of the small parts are strong, especially Slim Pickens at the end.

It also sums up the attempts in New Hollywood to be shocking and new. Worth seeing.

Steve McQueen, the number one bad ass of his time (aside from Clint Eastwood of course). So what's wrong with rooting for the bad guy? This movie seems almost flawless with its excellently executed car chases, it's suspenseful and exciting shoot-outs, and its riveting emotional sequences. Both McGraw and McQueen make this movie well worth the experience. While it is a violent movie (especially for the year it was released!) its moments of comic relief and even serenity make this movie worthy of any moral person's eyes.

Without spoiling the movie, just imagine Bonnie and Clyde with the greatest action/adventure experience ever. And to think it was over a measley $500,000... Of course, they were being chased for $750,000.

9/10 for an adventure close to perfection.