The Getaway

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The Getaway

PG

1972

2h 2m

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

25 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

When convict Doc McCoy (Steve McQueen) is refused parole, he enlists his wife, Carol (Ali MacGraw), to strike a deal with crooked Texan Jack Benyon (Ben Johnson), who agrees to pull strings for Doc in return for his help on one last bank heist. The job is a success, but Benyon's men betray Doc, and he and Carol must take off across Texas with the money, running from both the law and other criminals, aiming to get to Mexico before they're caught, or worse, killed.

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Critics Consensus

The Getaway sees Sam Peckinpah and Steve McQueen, the kings of violence and cool, working at full throttle.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

09/29/2023

This is the most completely commercial film Peckinpah has made, and his self-parasitism gives one forebodings of emptiness... The Getaway is long and dull and has no reverberations except of other movies, mostly by Peckinpah.

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Vincent Canby

New York Times

05/09/2005

2/5

The action and the violence of The Getaway are supported by no particular themes whatsoever. The movie just unravels.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

10/23/2004

2/4

The Getaway is a big, glossy, impersonal mechanical toy. 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.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

02/22/2025

4/5

…another masterclass in minimalist cool from Steve McQueen, whose presence makes The Getaway something of a blast despite some caveats about the more challenging side of 1972’s sexual politics…

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Justine Smith

Vague Visages

11/21/2023

Measured against the earlier reunion after Doc leaves prison and the two make love in a lake and retire to a small room, this violence seems all the more horrifying...

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

08/16/2022

3/5

There ends up being enough good ingredients to make for a tasty crime thriller. Perhaps not as good as it could have been, but tasty nonetheless.

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Jacob B

@RT89309114 Jan 30

This wasn't completely for me. There are certainly good moments, Steve McQueen is firing on all cylinders and Sam Peckinpah does a good job directing but I couldn't fully get into The Getaway. Maybe I found the pacing hit-or-miss, maybe it wasn't action-packed enough for my tastes or perhaps the opening scene and its approach to sound mixing left a bad first impression. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Walter Hill writing the script, maybe? I have found his directorial efforts to come across as overrated, so maybe his involvement is to blame for whatever issues I had with this film. The Getaway does have things to like about it but, for whatever reason, my heart just wasn't in it, even though I wanted to like this movie more than I did. Oh well, maybe the remake will be more to my tastes. I hear Joss Whedon provided some script doctoring in it. At least this new 1000-word limit will prevent me from going on "separating art from the artist" tangents regarding him.

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Jelisije J

@jjosifovic Jan 14

The original is better than the remake due to the score, camera shots, and obvious level of talent that only Steve McQueen can bring to screen.

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bob c

@RT46426964 Jan 8

They don’t make em like this for years

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tucker s

@tucker83014 Nov 13

Outstanding movie. Great acting, writing, and direction. Peckinpah was one of a kind.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Jul 27

Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Stephen C

@bob25009 06/28/2025

Success in 2 hours and 2 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Synopsis

When convict Doc McCoy (Steve McQueen) is refused parole, he enlists his wife, Carol (Ali MacGraw), to strike a deal with crooked Texan Jack Benyon (Ben Johnson), who agrees to pull strings for Doc in return for his help on one last bank heist. The job is a success, but Benyon's men betray Doc, and he and Carol must take off across Texas with the money, running from both the law and other criminals, aiming to get to Mexico before they're caught, or worse, killed.

Director: Sam Peckinpah
Producer: David Foster, Mitchell Brower
Screenwriter: Walter Hill
Production Co: First Artists
Rating: PG
Genre: Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 1, 2014
Runtime: 2h 2m