Guet-apens

This was a very entertaining, if morally way below par, action movie which consistently keeps your attention with intense scenes. Kim Bassinger probably looked as good as she ever looked which is saying a lot. She has one of the steamiest scenes I've ever seen on a mainline film (my tape was the "unrated" version) but at least it was with her real-life husband (at the time) Alec Baldwin.

This re-make of the 1972 film also has Michael Madsen, James Woods, Mike Morse and Jennifer Tilley - all playing sleazy characters. They are so bad they make Baldwin & Bassinger look like monks. This movie is not exactly Mary Poppins. There's almost too much of a mean edge to it....almost. Perhaps I enjoy ogling Bassinger too much to can this movie for its baseness.

Whatever, this entertains to the degree that it makes it a very quick two hours. There is no way you could get bored watching this film.

Way back when, pulp novelist genius Jim Thompson wrote "The Getaway." It was about a man and a woman who teamed up to rob. It has been filmed twice. About 12 people argue on IMDb about which is the better version. I am one of those arguing that the second version is better.

The first version in 1972 was directed by Sam Peckinpah and had a stellar (at the time) cast including Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw. It was directed by Sam Peckinpah. Among the character actors were legends Al Letteiri, Ben Johnson, Sally Struthers and Slim Pickens.

There is no doubt this is an outstanding movie.

Here's the big difference -- Ali McGraw Vs. Kim Basinger. Kim B. blows Ali M. out of the water. Seriously, the whole contest rides on this and Kim so totally takes charge in the second movie there is no competition.

I won't talk about the sex scene between Kim and Alec Baldwin, who is her husband. Why? They deserve their privacy. Even though we saw ... lots.

Bottom line: This movie requires a tough broad. Ali McGraw? Fugeddabout it! No way. Kim, you relentless female tough woman, you rule here.

Kim Basinger? This is a woman who does not look ridiculous handling a nine. But she's also vulnerable in the back of a garbage truck. Alec, you are one lucky guy.

And, Richard Farnsworth has the role that Slim Pickens played in the original. Tough call. I say equal props.

Bottom line? The remake has more ... coolness. 'Nuff said.

I have been doing a Roger Donaldson binge this weekend, it all started with a cheesy volcano movie by director Donalsdon that had no pretentions of being anything else but family entertainment and I like that attitude. Only with those movies that take themselves too seriously I get irritated easily, but director Roger Donaldson knows how to make fun and suspenseful action movies for the masses. He has no pretentions. Donaldson's movies are what they are. Simply that. You get what you ask for. He also made "Cocktail" and "No Way Out" with Tom Cruise. That will give you a good idea what you can expect: sometimes cheesy, but always entertaining. Sometimes soft, sometimes hardcore. This flick is no disney action, but it aint Tarantino either. Middle of the road kind of action, but good enough.

"The Getaway" is a heist movie with a criminal couple on the run from other criminals that want their stolen money back. As simple as that, but executed very well. Not superb, but just very well. That suffices for me. Ideal for a saturday night flick of which I ask nothing else but simple entertainment for guys who wanna watch action.

The criminal couple on the run are being played by the butch Alex Baldwin and the lovely Kim Basinger. I dont like cheesy sex scenes in action movies, but for those who do, Kim Basinger has some pretty revealing nude scenes in it, no wonder, her being the sex bomb of the nineties, in which period she went naked in almost EVERY movie. She is still a good actress though, really, I say that without irony, personally I feel that the sex scenes only slow the heist and pursuit scenes down.

Anyways, as I said before this movie is made for the masses, so dont expect originality. But it has everything one could wish for to be just entertained: violence, suspense, action, sex and some great sick jokes. Just great action flick for guys.

I usually hate it, when they go back and look for movies to redo just to earn some cheap cash.

In this case I feel differently though.

It begins with the cast. A lot of (then) hot actors like Alec Baldwin, Kim Basinger, Michael Madsen, James Woods... Need I go on?

Also they kept most of the basic plot and elevated it to a new level. The new version is bolder and should appeal to a new audience.

It's a classic tale of deception, love, and betrayal.

First our Hero, Doc (Baldwin) get's thrown in Jail. After a year his wife (his back then actual wife Kim Basinger) makes a deal with the crook turned respected businessman Jack Benyon. He's to rob a racetrack. For this Benyon already assembled a team. That includes the guy that was kind of responsible for Doc getting sent to jail for a year.

The heist goes off almost without a hitch but from that moment on everything goes south. first Rudy (Madsen) kills the 4th guy involved in the thing and then tries to off Doc and his wife. Doc's of course faster with the gun and hurts Rudy badly. He survives though, because he wore a bulletproof vest, which he usually doesn't. Then doc and his wife head up to Benyons place to split up the money. Benyon (Woods) of course has other plans. Plans that involve Docs Wife (a really hot looking Basinger). But she opts to go with her husband and kills Benyon. So no they not only have Benyons Guys on their tail but also the very pi**ed off Rudy.

If I were to continue telling you the plot there would be no need for you to watch the movie.

Just let me tell you that it's a great remake that tops the original in several aspects. The acting is top notch by almost all the major characters. The action is fast paced and very violent. (I base this on the unrated HD-DVD).

So if you have a few bucks lying around. Get this movie, I am pretty sure you can get it for under $10 in about every big store..

Roger Donaldson's remake of Sam Peckinpah's 1972 gangster movie classic "The Getaway" is alright, but cannot - as many remakes - reach the power, humor and style of the original version. There are some plus points - the bloody and lengthened showdown in the hotel at the end tries to overpower the impact of the original version, and it works.

There are some good supporting roles from James Woods and Michael Madsen (with dreadful hair style that belongs rather into an Ace Ventura or Wayne's World movie). The plot, even many story details, are just repetitions of the Peckinpah movie, but the tempo of the film is okay as well.

Otherwise there are also too many low points: the score is boring and can't compete with Quincy Jones' original jazz funk fusion grooves. The photography is to clean despite all the Mexican dust and sometimes too MTV style and without the dirty atmosphere that was typical for many Peckinpah movies.

Kim Basinger is alright in the Ali McGraw role, but Alec Baldwin is trying too hard to copy an image of Steve McQueen which isn't working at all. The dialogues aren't as witty as with McQueen and McGraw, and Donaldson would have done a far better job if he could have managed to give an individual life to this picture instead of just doing a 1994 techno grunge remix of an early seventies classic.

Anyway, if you like to watch an entertaining contemporary gangster and road movie, the 1993 version of "The Getaway" is still fun to watch. But if you have the choice to take the original VHS or DVD, skip the remake.