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.
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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.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
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.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Top 1970s Crime Film
- The Getaway review by GI
Director Sam Peckinpah had a passion for Mexico with many of his films either set there or featuring in some way. The Getaway continues this passion as his protagonists head for freedom and bliss over the border. This is a first class 1970s American crime film and should be ranked alongside the best of the genre from this period. It has many of the themes that Peckinpah included in his major works, for example of the outlaw born in the wrong time. Here Steve McQueen is the classic American anti-hero, an outlaw whose escape from justice is the story and the drive of the narrative. He's 'Doc' McCoy, an expert bank robber who is freed from jail by a corrupt politician (Ben Johnson) and in return has to commit a heist at a small Texas bank. The robbery goes awry and faced with double cross McCoy and his wife, Carol (Ali McGraw) head off to El Paso for their final escape into Mexico. They're chased along the way by the law, the politicians henchmen and by a vengeful ex partner (Al Lettieri). The journey is not an easy one not least by the fracturing relationship between the McCoys. The climax is reached when all converge on a grubby hotel where the guns come out. Typically Peckinpah uses slow motion in the action shots especially the final shoot out although the violence is mainly restrained. The film has a great visual style and Peckinpah is a genius at character motivation drawing contradictions and violence through a poetic narrative. The film has three main flaws, firstly McQueen had final cut and allegedly utilised takes that showed him in the best light so, to my mind, there's no doubt Peckinpah would have cut the film far more interestingly; secondly McGraw is a weak actor and it really shows here, her performance lets the character down and a stronger actor would have strengthened the story, after all Carol McCoy is a violent criminal. Lastly the film has an awfully jarring music score by Quincy Jones which replaced one by Jerry Fielding, again McQueen's choice. So whilst The Getaway remains a key 70s crime film in a western frame I would love to see a Sam Peckinpah cut even despite McGraw.
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