Rent The Getaway (1972)

Tremendous - The Getaway review by PT

McQueen and MacGraw play Doc and Carol, husband and wife, partners in crime, a kind of modern day Bonnie and Clyde.

There is superb sexual chemistry and tension ( Carol has prostituted herself to a corrupt politician for Doc to get out of prison) between these two stars. Doc must also mastermind a robbery for this bent politician as part of the deal. Straightforward though it ain't, and double crossing occurs. The lovers head for the Mexican border, pursued by men who want to stop their little excursion by putting them to sleep permanently.

McQueen and MacGraw are superb, as is Al Lettieri as a psychopathic bad guy who you hate with a vengeance.

Excellent direction by Peckinpah. The ice cool scene with Doc walking down the street with a pump action shotgun reminded me of The Wild Bunch. Totally cool film.

Steady Action Thriller - The Getaway review by CD

I was a bit disappointed given the calibre and credentials of the actors and director.  I was also expecting a lot from the 1970s soundtrack but the music seemed to detract at times from the action.  It is all very gory and the baddies are certainly unpleasant, but the lead characters are not very likeable either and the conclusion is not very satisfying.  I prefer other Steve McQueen movies but this is still worth a watch.

A tense action thriller starring Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw - The Getaway review by Philip in Paradiso

Carter "Doc" McCoy (Steve McQueen) is eventually granted parole from a Texas prison where he was serving a 10-year sentence for armed robbery. His wife Carol (Ali MacGraw) has stood by him all along, and has helped secure his early release. McCoy has had to make a deal with Jack Beynon, an influential member of the parole board and a powerful businessman in San Antonio. Beynon has facilitated Doc's parole on the condition that McCoy should plan and participate in a bank robbery with two gangsters chosen by Beynon. The story develops from there.

The film is a tense and violent action thriller of the kind you would expect from director Sam Peckinpah; the film's music is very effective in enhancing the suspense. The 2 lead actors - Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw - are convincing and the chemistry between them seems strong. There are unexpected twists and turns in the story that focus the attention of the viewer. The movie, however, is not particularly profound in any way: it remains, from start to finish, somehow, a spectacle - the archetypal get-away, underpinned by an implicit and romantic fascination with guns and violence. Still, overall, although not quite as good as what I expected, it is an excellent film.