Guet-apens

Sick and tired of new releases I couldn't get through 45 minutes of, I went back to a classic: Sam Peckinpah's The Getaway. What a breath of fresh air this 1972 heist/chase movie turned out to be. In addition to hyper realistic characterizations of the McCoys (played by Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw), everything else about this movie rings true. 35 years later, Peckinpah's signature slo-motion shoot outs stand up against anything in the theaters today. There's little to dislike about this movie and I can't help but wonder why movies aren't made like this anymore: no special FX, no over-the-top stunt sequences, no melodramatic dialogue, not fat, no filler. This is a movie made by real people, for real people. Plain and simple.

Technically, the stand-out aspect within The Getaway is the editing. Influenced by the French New Wave, Peckinpah defies convention by playing with time and space as he uses disjointed cuts to jump ahead in time before allowing the events within the movie to catch up to the present. The most interesting example of this occurs when Doc and Carol are at a busy park alongside a river. Doc has just been released from prison and he's soaking in the sights and sounds of freedom. Peckinpah cuts to a shot of Doc jumping into the river with his clothes on, followed by Carol. At first this feels like a fantasy in Doc's head since we abruptly cut back to the present where Doc is still standing and looking at the river. But soon he actually does run to and jump into the river. From there we cut directly to Carol's apartment where the two enter soaking wet and smiling. It is atypical and unexpected to see unconventional editing like this in mainstream American movies, but when it's done (and done right) there' something incredibly rewarding about having your brain (and expectations) teased in such a randomly disjointed (yet fluid) way.

Another example of unconventional yet incredibly effective montage happens in the opening thirty minutes. In this sequence Doc McCoy (McQueen) is locked up in prison and slowly losing his wits. Peckinpah portrays Doc's inner head space through a dizzying montage of shots of Doc in and around the prison, where synced sound cuts smash into one another in a relentlessly pounding and oppressive manner. You get the sense something has to break and before long you realize it's Doc's resolve.

Peckinpah proves with The Getaway that you don't need astounding source material to make a great movie. On the written page I'm sure this film seemed like a very standard heist/chase film. But by allowing the actors to bring realistic, idiosyncratic performances to the table and by utilizing unorthodox techniques, such as French New Wave inspired editing, Peckinpah elevates pulp into high art. I know I'm sounding like a broken record by saying this but: where are the artists in Hollywood today?

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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' 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.

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.

Before Action became routine and Bruce Willis there was the 1970´s Action-film, which often had a lot of mood. "The Getaway" is one of those films, showing what range the Action-film could have - there is more than violence and wannabe-cool dialog here. This was before the Action-films became exaggerated, instead of having just explosions and being over-explicit there is booth plot and suspense in "The Getaway". It let Peckinpah use his well known style, in the way of Boorman´s "Point Blank". The result is pure. Ali McGraw is said to be limited and stiff, but Peckinpah made her solid here. I guess that Steve McQueen never was better than here, even if some wouldn't agree. Some of Peckinpah´s regular starred (such as Ben Johnson, Slim Pickens, Bo Hopkins and Dub Taylor) which makes it even better today - the impact of Peckinpah is powerful.

Rating: 8 of 10.