...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.
The Getaway (1972)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 18
Fresh: 15
Rotten:3
Average Rating: 6.9/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: After the rugged rodeo drama JUNIOR BONNER, the impetuous Sam Peckinpah reteamed with Steve McQueen for this down-and-dirty heist picture. McQueen stars with his soon-to-be real-life bride Ali... After the rugged rodeo drama JUNIOR BONNER, the impetuous Sam Peckinpah reteamed with Steve McQueen for this down-and-dirty heist picture. McQueen stars with his soon-to-be real-life bride Ali McGraw (with whom he fell in love during the film's production) as the beautiful, but dangerous, married couple Doc and Carol McCoy. After being released from prison--for reasons Doc would rather not acknowledge--Doc shacks up in a hotel with Carol to plot a small-town bank robbery. Of course, the heist doesn't go as smoothly as planned, resulting in an action-packed journey that sends the lovers on a reckless romp through the beautiful Texas landscape. Peckinpah's big screen adaptation of Jim Thompson's novel features the trademark qualities that helped to make him such an alternately reviled and revered figure: namely, his vision of a world in which even the good guys are bad guys. Lucien Ballard's gorgeous cinematography contrasts wonderfully with the gritty subject matter, lifting the potentially standard picture to a more artistic plateau. The chemistry between the incomparably cool McQueen and the magnetic McGraw also confirms THE GETAWAY's status as a defining film of the genre. [More]
Starring: Steve McQueen, Ali MacGraw, Ben Johnson, Bo Hopkins
Starring: Steve McQueen, Ali MacGraw, Ben Johnson, Bo Hopkins, Sally Struthers, Al Lettieri, Slim Pickens
Director: Sam Peckinpah
Director: Sam Peckinpah
Producer: David Foster, Mitchell Brower
Screenwriter: Walter Hill
Story: Jim Thompson
Composer: Quincy Jones
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Reviews for The Getaway
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.
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 tough crime drama with a steely McQueen performance and the usual quota of Peckinpah violence.
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