The Getaway (1972)

A Masterpiece!

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

No need to recap the plot. It's 1972, so if it's Steve McQueen, you know there's going to be slam-bang car chases and maybe one smile. Plus, if it's Sam Peckinpah, you know there's going to be plenty of shooting and red stuff. So how can action fans lose. Okay, so the movie's second half is more than a stretch, but who cares, what with all the bang-bang action going on. Speaking of bang-bang, there's dippy Sally Struthers, giggling every time she strips. Lucky Lettieri. Too bad he's too full of holes to take full advantage. Speaking of full advantage, poor Mc Queen. Prison does something to a guy, like maybe stifling his biological prowess, but then McGraw's patiently understanding. Then too, I really like Steve's bowl haircut, just the sort of clip-clip a prison barber passes out to guys standing in line. And catch his field work sunburn. Kudos to Steve for not caring about Hollywood looks. However, I would recommend a few thespian lessons for McGraw. She's a whole lot prettier than she is accomplished. But then maybe it's the script that fogs up her character. Not so for Lettieri. He's plain evil and enough to scare the pants off Schwarzeneger. Whoops, that's an even scarier thought than Lettieri.Anyhow, it's a rip-roaring two hours with hardly a let-up. So fasten your seat belts, and let Steve punch it up.

In the movie The getaway we find the paramount representation of the power of the shot-gun. McQueens shot-gun bullets destroy police-cars, devastate a whole hotel, demolish an elevator, knock down a door slaughtering the thug hidden behind...The action is great, as one can expect from Peckinpah. The final shootout is especially memorable and McQueen just looks great with that rifle. This is the sort of screen presence most movie stars could only hope to have. I saw this way back in early 90s. Saw again on WB channel years back when the channel was newly introduced in India. Revisited this recently on a DVD. It is a well paced, action/thriller. Its a decent heist/road film. Nice Cinematography by Lucien Ballard n very good direction by Peckinpah.

Doc McCoy (Steve McQueen) is released on parole. His wife Carol (Ali MacGraw) is dutifully waiting for him. Sheriff Beynon (Ben Johnson) got him out in exchange for Doc to do a bank job worth at least $500k. Beynon assigns him Rudy Butler (Al Lettieri) and Frank Jackson as his crew. The bank job goes wrong. Frank kills a guard. Rudy shoots Frank. Rudy tries to shoot Doc but Doc beats him to the draw. Rudy wearing a bullet-proof vest survives. Benyon also tries to doublecross Doc with Carol's help but Carol shoots Benyon instead. Carol slept with Benyon trying to get Doc out of prison. Meanwhile Rudy kidnaps a couple (Jack Dodson, Sally Struthers).Director Sam Peckinpah gets to do a lot of action with a simple thin plot. The characters aren't that deep. The couple has a good turn in the story. The tension is surprisingly not that high. It's an action road film that needs more excitement. While the action is good, the movie is very slow a lot of the times. It really only has Peckinpah's action going for it and he's using too much slow motion action. While Rudy's story is a bit different, I'm not really invested in him or his captives. Also I would have made Doc a harder man. Carol is right. He's not hard enough. However the movie has got good Peckinpah action but not much else.

My first Peckinpah movie, and it's easy to understand how he became such a name filmmaker. Dude's a hard-nosed bastard. "The Getaway" has a sinister undercurrent from top to bottom. McQueen's a bank robber of the mean son-of-a-bitch variety, often berating and slapping around wife Ali McGraw (whose dubious acting ability is hard to miss). and then there's Sally Struthers, and if you've only known her from those '90s correspondence school commercials (as I do), you're in for a shock. Here, she's a chesty nympho. See what I mean? Stuff was crazy in the '70s. And then Slim Pickens shows up in a getaway ride (with an unexpectedly nice ending).It's not the greatest heist movie out there, but there's plenty of McQueen cool to keep one interested. And both the train chase and the ballsy shootout ending are quite memorable.7/10