The Getaway (1972)
Average Rating: 7/10
Reviews Counted: 19
Fresh: 16 | Rotten: 3
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 2
Fresh: 0 | Rotten: 2
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Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 9,123
My Rating
Movie Info
In Sam Peckinpah's version of Walter Hill's script, from Jim Thompson's novel, an ex-con and his wife go on the lam after a Texas bank heist. Denied parole after four well-behaved years, Doc McCoy (Steve McQueen) sends his wife Carol (Ali MacGraw) to dirty politician Jack Benyon (Ben Johnson) to get him out of prison. Carol secures Doc's freedom, on the condition that he does one more bank job for Benyon. Doc and his accomplices Rudy (Al Lettieri) and Jackson (Bo Hopkins) get the cash, but Doc
Dec 13, 1972 Limited
May 31, 2005
Warner Bros. Pictures
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Cast
-
Steve McQueen
Doc McCoy -
Ali MacGraw
Carol McCoy -
Ben Johnson
Jack Benyon -
Sally Struthers
Fran Clinton -
Al Lettieri
Rudy -
Slim Pickens
Cowboy -
Jack Dodson
Harold Clinton -
Richard Bright
Railroad Station Thief -
John Bryson
Accountant -
A.L. Camp
Hardware-Store Owner -
Dick Crockett
Bank Guard -
Roy Jenson
Cully -
Whitney Jones
Soldier -
Stacy Newton
Stacy -
Tom Runyon
Hayhoe -
Dub Taylor
Laughlin -
Bill Hart
Swain -
Bo Hopkins
Frank Jackson
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The Getaway Trailer & Photos
All Critics (23) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (18) | Rotten (3) | DVD (7)
The action and the violence of The Getaway are supported by no particular themes whatsoever. The movie just unravels.
It's like one of those devices for executive desks, with the stainless steel balls on the strings: It functions with great efficiency but doesn't accomplish anything.
A gripping thriller.
...ultimately comes off as an above-average thriller that's elevated by the inclusion of several electrifying sequences and an expectedly charismatic turn from Steve McQueen.
...it's Al Lettieri who practically steals the show from McQueen..... He was one of Hollywood's most memorable bad guys. (HD-DVD Edition)
The Getaway scores a triple play: It's a good character examination, a good relationship study, and a good action flick.
Relentlessly depicts ruthless robbery and murder, not to mention adultery, kidnaping, bribery, extortion, and general mayhem. The vivid direction and lightning pace, however, make the film completely fascinating.
Tough as nails and very effective.
simply too contrived to be taken seriously
Audience Reviews for The Getaway
Super Reviewer
Walter Hill wrote the screnplay, and based the material off of a novel by Jim Thompson. Sam Peckinpah took the reins as director, and Quincey Jones handled the music. Being that this was released in 1972, it easily fits into the canon of tough, gritty crime pictures common for the period. It;s a good solid yarn and (I think) deserves to be better known and more appreciated.
The cast is ptetty good, and they give some decent performances. The characters, despite beign criminals, are somewhat likeable, even though they don't always do nice things. Of course though, It's McQueen, the King of Cool, so he's pretty hard to dislike in general. The action scenes are well done, and I enjoyed some of the humor as well, even though I wasn't expecting it.
My only real complaints are the choppy editing and the freeze frames during the opening credits. Those get a little distracting and annoyed me. Also, I'm not real big on how they handled the sidestory involving Al Lettieri's character as he makes his escape. I mean, he does a good job, as does Sally Struthers, I just think it could have been handled better as the way it is now just seems out of place. The music is fairly decent, but some of it seemed inconsistent and not uniformly strong.
Other than all that, this is a fine motion picture. It's cool, it's gritty, and McQueen is a bad ass. Do yourself a favor and check this out. It was remade in 1994 with an equally impressive cast, but, even though i haven't seen it yet, I have a feeling it'd be best to just stick with this one.
Super Reviewer
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Foreign Titles
- Guet-apens (DE)
- Guet-apens (FR)


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