- Master thief Doc McCoy knows his wife has been in bed with the local political boss in order to spring him from jail. What he can’t know is the sinister succession of double-crosses that will sour the deal once he’s on the outside – and executing the ultimate robbery.Fasten your seat belts and join Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw in a supreme action thriller based on Jim Thompson’s novel. Sam Peckin
Master thief Doc McCoy knows his wife has been in bed with the local political boss in order to spring him from jail. What he can’t know is the sinister succession of double-crosses that will sour the deal once he’s on the outside – and executing the ultimate robbery. Fasten your seat belts and join Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw in a supreme action thriller based on Jim Thompson’s novel. Sam Peckinpah directed, filming on locations across Texas and in sequence – from the opening inside Hunstville State Prison to the explosive El Paso border climax. Once The Getaway starts, there’s no escaping its breathless intensity.
DVD Features:Audio Commentary:Commentary by Peckinpah Biographers/Documentarians Nick Redman, Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons and David WeddleFeaturette:Jerry Fielding, Sam Peckinpah and The GetawayTheatrical Trailer:
It’s better than the 1994 remake starring Kim Basinger and husband Alec Baldwin, but this 1972 thriller relies too heavily on the low-key star power of Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw, and the stylish violence of director Sam Peckinpah, reduced here to a mechanical echo of his former glory. McQueen plays a bank robber whose wife (MacGraw) makes a deal with a Texas politician to have her husband released from prison in return for a percentage from their next big heist. But when the plan goes sour, the couple must flee to Mexico as fast as they can, with a variety of gun-wielding thugs on their trail. MacGraw was duly skewered at the time for her dubious acting ability, but the film still has a raw, unglamorous quality that lends a timeless spin to the familiar crooks-on-the-lam scenario. As always, Peckinpah rises to the occasion with some audacious scenes of action and suspense, including a memorable chase on a train that still grabs the viewer’s attention. Not a great film, but a must for McQueen and Peckinpah fans. –Jeff ShannonIt’s better than the 1994 remake starring Kim Basinger and husband Alec Baldwin, but this 1972 thriller relies too heavily on the low-key star power of Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw, and the stylish violence of director Sam Peckinpah, reduced here to a mechanical echo of his former glory. McQueen plays a bank robber whose wife (MacGraw) makes a deal with a Texas politician to have her husband released from prison in return for a percentage from their next big heist. But when the plan goes sour, the couple must flee to Mexico as fast as they can, with a variety of gun-wielding thugs on their trail. MacGraw was duly skewered at the time for her dubious acting ability, but the film still has a raw, unglamorous quality that lends a timeless spin to the familiar crooks-on-the-lam scenario. As always, Peckinpah rises to the occasion with some audacious scenes of action and suspense, including a memorable chase on a train that still grabs the viewer’s attention. Not a great film, but a must for McQueen and Peckinpah fans. –Jeff Shannon
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March 5, 2010
#1
If you have never seen this movie than don’t waste your time. It might have been good in the 70′s, but it doesn’t hold up over time. This reminds me of a terrible made for TV movie. It’s no cool hand Luke.
March 5, 2010
#2
Steve McQueen, the classic misogynist, stars as the main character, “Doc”, in this really bad movie. I would speak of plot, but there really isn’t one. McQueen abuses his wife in the movie all of the time and she still stays with him. Maybe because he sucessfully robbed a bank. And Sally Struthers? Don’t even go there. If she annoyed you in “All in the Family” she will drive you completely insane. Then there’s Rudy, the classic character actor villian. He doesn’t shoot McQueen, though, so you won’t find yourself rooting for him. Or “Doc”.
March 5, 2010
#3
I waited over a year to see this film, it wasn’t worth it. I wasn’t aloud to see it because it was supposedly too violent. When I did see it I was really disppointed. There was very little violence at all, and what there was went too fast. In the final shootout at the end (which I thought would be a huge, explosive borderline massacre by the police) was a poorly choreographed hotel gunfight. Steve McQueen could have done better. Peace out.
March 5, 2010
#4
The Getaway is one of the most non-involving action films I’ve seen in a while. It features characters that aren’t likeable, settings that are dull, chases that move at a sluggish pace, and just an overall lack of action or compelling drama. With the exception of the last shootout, the movie is a complete bore. Stick with Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch, Cross of Iron, or even the slightly underrated Killer Elite.
March 5, 2010
#5
Being a big fan of both Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw, I recently got the DVD of “The Getaway.” I was largely disappointed in the film — it looks and feels very dated. Visually, I suppose it was meant to seem innovative at the time, but it looks like a lot of the bad movie-making of the early ’70s now. And the soundtrack by Quincy Jones is remarkably amateurish-sounding.
My biggest complaint, however, is with the pacing of the film. The action sequences are top-notch, but when it slows down, it gets REALLY slow. It shifts gears this way several times, going from edge-of-your-seat excitement to falling-asleep boredom.
This film had potential that it failed to live up to, and although the actors in it are superb, they are not directed well. Check out “The Thomas Crown Affair” or “The Great Escape” for far better McQueen.