The Getaway (1972)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Graham J

  
  Peckinpah's action flick is well made and original though not one of his best.

• Chris W

  
  Filmed on location across various parts of Texas this is the story of Carter "Doc" McCoy (Steve McQueen), a bankrobber who gets released from prison after his wife Carol (Ali MacGraw) does whatever is necessary to make it happen. As per part of the deal she makes, the two of… More
  Filmed on location across various parts of Texas this is the story of Carter "Doc" McCoy (Steve McQueen), a bankrobber who gets released from prison after his wife Carol (Ali MacGraw) does whatever is necessary to make it happen. As per part of the deal she makes, the two of them, plus a couple of others, are pulled together to pull off a major job, one that could very well be the last one McCoy ever needs to pull. Things go awry, and, following the botched job, the rest of the films follows the characters as they attempt to make their escapes. 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.

• Tsubaki S

  
  Peckinpah directs, Walter Hill writes. There are some ups and downs on the script, but this is a solid flick.

• Reid V

  
  I have a major soft spot for 70's crime movies. They are just so damn gritty and it seems that more of an emphasis was placed on suspense building rather than explicit action. So when I sat down with director Sam Peckinpah's 1972 heist film, I was pleasantly surprised to… More
  I have a major soft spot for 70's crime movies. They are just so damn gritty and it seems that more of an emphasis was placed on suspense building rather than explicit action. So when I sat down with director Sam Peckinpah's 1972 heist film, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this film is a clinic in suspense building. I wasn't surprised that Peckinpah could make a good film. In fact, I absolutely love the Wild Bunch and Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia. What surprised me was how lean the film was. With his film such as Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid being a bit on the self indulgent side, I wondered what he would do with a simple heist film. In essence, and with the pun fully intended, he cuts to the chase. It is a story about a man in search of a clean slate and Pekinpah never strays from that. Sure he takes a couple of scenes to build up the malevolence of the antagonist, but other than that he keeps it to McQueen. I have never been too impressed with McQueen in the past, but the director manages to get a really good performance out of him. But back to my point, the editing is so tight and the directing so sharp that this film just drives. (Too many puns?) For those Peckinpah fans, don't worry, it still has all of the trappings of the director. There is some very unglamorous violence, misogyny, and plenty of people falling in slow motion. Could the film have benefitted from more character development? Always. But I don't know whether to attribute that flaw to the director or the limited range of MacGraw. While I know her character goes through some changes in the film, the actress doesn't display them well. All in all, a great heist film and proof that Pekinpah was quite a force behind the camera.

• xGary X

  
  A career criminal is granted parole by a corrupt politician in exchange for masterminding a bank robbery but when things go awry he and his wife have to make a run for the border with both the cops and their erstwhile partners on their tale. The Getaway is an old school, no-nonsense… More
  A career criminal is granted parole by a corrupt politician in exchange for masterminding a bank robbery but when things go awry he and his wife have to make a run for the border with both the cops and their erstwhile partners on their tale. The Getaway is an old school, no-nonsense heist movie that bears all of Peckinpah's trademarks. Despite the presence of McQueen and his effortless cool, it's a very cold-hearted film as he plays such a hard ass it's rather difficult to warm to him and as the plot is little more than a series of shoot outs and car chases there is not much room for in depth characterisation or dialogue. It being Peckinpah, the action is of course brilliantly handled though and it has the tough guy grittiness that is peculiar to thrillers of the 70s such as Dirty Harry and The French Connection and things definitely heat up towards the end with a fantastic climactic shoot out and a nice cameo from Slim Pickens that finally brings a modicum of heart to the story. Maybe not a true classic, but certainly one to see for fans of the genre.

• Conner R

  
  Sam Peckinpahâ??s heist masterpiece, itâ??s one of the best the genre has to offer. Itâ??s bloody, violent and ruthless; something that every crime movie should be. However, this is so realistic and gritty that all those qualities come off even more extreme and powerful. Seeing… More
  Sam Peckinpahâ??s heist masterpiece, itâ??s one of the best the genre has to offer. Itâ??s bloody, violent and ruthless; something that every crime movie should be. However, this is so realistic and gritty that all those qualities come off even more extreme and powerful. Seeing someone get shot in slow motion with candy apple blood from a shotgun is like nothing else. The storyline is more complex than just a simple bank robbery, itâ??s the follow up that gets far more attention. Steve McQueen is the definition of hard, he slaps his girlfriend around, kills via buckshots and never cracks a smile. However, heâ??s always the one you root for because heâ??s just so awesome doing it.

• Aaron N

  
  Rudy Butler: That's a walk-in bank. You don't have to be Dillinger for this one. Carter 'Doc' McCoy: Dillinger got killed. Rudy Butler: Not in a bank. Steve McQueen plays it pretty cool throughout this Sam Peckinpah action thriller. Its about an ex-con/master… More
  Rudy Butler: That's a walk-in bank. You don't have to be Dillinger for this one. Carter 'Doc' McCoy: Dillinger got killed. Rudy Butler: Not in a bank. Steve McQueen plays it pretty cool throughout this Sam Peckinpah action thriller. Its about an ex-con/master thief, Doc McCoy, played by McQueen, who is released from jail, reunites with his wife, and takes on a bank job from a corrupt politician in exchange for parole and a chunk of cash. The bank heist is successful, but unfortunately for Doc the men he's working with are not on the level. Doc kills the politician but only shoots the other robber who was wearing a bullet proof vest at the time. Now its a race to the border as Doc and his wife Carol, played by Ali MacGraw, are wanted criminals being hunted by both the police and the other robber. What I really enjoyed about this film is McQueen's character. Doc is continually frustrated by all those around him throughout. This includes the men chasing him, people getting in his way, and of course his wife. There is one awesome sequence where Carol is given some help by a stranger, who ends up taking all the money, leading to a neat cat and mouse sequence as Doc and the thief have to deal with each other. It is an entire sequence that is relatively unrelated to the main plot, but it further strengthens Doc's frustration, and how he could have done everything clean if he was just given himself to do everything. This is the film that has finally put me on board the cool McQueen train. Adding to the film is Peckinpah's direction. Known for his use of bloody action, slow motion shots, and macho characters living by a simple code of honor, all of those elements are present here, and they all add to the slickness and to the point purpose of the feature. A well made, entertaining ride. Carter 'Doc' McCoy: If you're trying to get me back in Huntsville, you're going about it the right way. Carol Ainsley McCoy: Well I just wouldn't worry about that Doc, because I can always get you out, you know I can screw every prison official in Texas if I have to! Carter 'Doc' McCoy: Texas is a big state. Carol Ainsley McCoy: I can handle it. Carter 'Doc' McCoy: Yeah, I bet you can.

• Chris G

  
  The Getaway represents another image of the awesomely cool Steve McQuuen etched into our collective minds for an eternity. McQueen plays Doc McCoy, a man on the inside trying to get back on the outside and failing at every attempt. That is until his wife Carol (Ali Mcgraw) starts to… More
  The Getaway represents another image of the awesomely cool Steve McQuuen etched into our collective minds for an eternity. McQueen plays Doc McCoy, a man on the inside trying to get back on the outside and failing at every attempt. That is until his wife Carol (Ali Mcgraw) starts to play patty-cake with parole board member Jack Beynon (Ben Johnson). Part of the stipulation for Doc's release is that he has to set up a robbery against a bank for Beynon. Of course, as in all movies, the robbery is a dismal failure with the McCoys being chased by Beynon, the police, and left for dead gang member Rudy (Al Letteri). When I found out that this was directed b y Sam Peckinpah I was surprised that this film was rated PG. Peckinpah is notorious for the over the top violent menagerie, but The Getaway steers clear of any major gratuitous violence. Honestly, the worst you'll see is McQueen slapping McGraw- literally. The film is a great action piece that doesn't disappoint its audience with the standard cops and robbers uniformity. The McCoys are on the run like Bonnie and Clyde, but they're in a marriage that is strained by Carol's "work" on the parole board and the constant chase from most of the southern United States. The addition of the sub plot featuring Rudy mesmerizing the kidnapped veterinarians wife (Sally Struthers) delivers some comic relief as we watch the McCoy's attempt to salvage their marriage and their lives. McQueen and Mcgraw deliver great performance, probably due to the fact that they were in a stormy relationship themselves at this point. First and foremost this is a McQueen picture, but that doesn't take away from the rest of the cast who are great in their roles. So if you're looking for another dose of McQueen cool The Getaway delivers another subdued performance by the man that was taken way before his time.

• David L

  
  Based on Jim Thompson's novel, The Getaway finds director Sam Peckinpah, and king of cool actor Steve McQueen turn to hard grit drama after the sedate splendour of Junior Bonner earlier in the year. Doc McCoy is released early from prison due to some string pulling from… More
  Based on Jim Thompson's novel, The Getaway finds director Sam Peckinpah, and king of cool actor Steve McQueen turn to hard grit drama after the sedate splendour of Junior Bonner earlier in the year. Doc McCoy is released early from prison due to some string pulling from influential gangster Jack Benyon, however it comes under condition that McCoy pulls off a bank robbery for the gruff smarmy Benyon. Thus the seed is sown for double crosses, murder, cross country pursuits, adultery, and carnage Peckinpah style. Steve McQueen is excellent as McCoy, few actors can claim to look so good when popping off a pump action shotgun, or shooting a pistol complete with arm recoil, and here he has Peckinpah to maximise the damage whilst poetically portraying the slow-mo death sequences. Al Lettieri is vile thug Rudy Butler who is in hot pursuit of McCoy & his wife Carol, a wonderful weasel turn full of cold abusive charm that reeks of menace. Sadly the film is let down a touch by the performance of Ali MacGraw as Carol, it's a terribly wooden performance that threatens to undo all the good things in the film, but luckily McQueen manages to ease her thru the production to minimise the damage. This of course is the film where both of them fell madly in love and ended up getting married to each other, the chemistry is good, but it's just that MacGraw's delivery of her lines lacks emotion or fortitude. Peckinpah disagreed with the critics of the time, even sending a letter to MacGraw praising her efforts. However when she turned up for the shoot unable to drive a car, he was less than pleased since her character was the getaway driver ! . Full of fine sequences and bloody scenarios, it stands up as a real good Sam Peckinpah picture, it's a kind of city set western where the outlaws are actually coming across as heroes. We get pulled into this couple's world and we want so much for them to achieve their goals, so add that feeling to the gritty structure of the story and you get a real enjoyable piece benefiting from great work from director and charismatic leading man alike,

• Ken S

  
  Steve Mother Fucking McQueen!

• Michael G

  
  The Getaway is good but not amazing. I was never really a Steve McQueen fan, but once you put him next to the painfully boring Ali MacGraw he comes off like Serpico. I'd seen the remake a dozen times many years ago and that version never really deviated (at all) from the… More
  The Getaway is good but not amazing. I was never really a Steve McQueen fan, but once you put him next to the painfully boring Ali MacGraw he comes off like Serpico. I'd seen the remake a dozen times many years ago and that version never really deviated (at all) from the original. I probably would've been way more into this had I never seen the remake. But between McQueen's style and Sam Peckinpah's direction, it's definitely not a waste of your time.

• Lanning :

  
  a) Because Peckinpah never does anything right? <p> b) Because they couldn't find a blonde to play MacGraw's part? <p> c) Because David Morse had creative input on the project and screwed it up? <p> d) Because Slim Pickens sensed that someday Richard… More
  a) Because Peckinpah never does anything right? <p> b) Because they couldn't find a blonde to play MacGraw's part? <p> c) Because David Morse had creative input on the project and screwed it up? <p> d) Because Slim Pickens sensed that someday Richard Farnsworth would be offered the same role in a remake, and he wanted them to share equally in the success of that character? <p> The correct answer is d.

• Dean M

  
  Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw are fantastic robbery team in this thriller as they were real-life husband and wife.

• Sarah G

  
  You just can't beat the original. Don't watch the re-make!

• Burger S

  
  This might be my favorite Steve McQueen movie.

• Mike T

  
  It's not a masterpiece, but it's a skillfully directed film with a uniquely laid-out story arc. Steve McQueen is the absolute definition of cool.

• Jonny C

  
  Good movie. I thought The Getaway was brilliantly directed by Sam Peckinpah, as he built up the suspense throughout, and all the action scenes looked authentic and were cleverly shot. Also, I found the scenes with McQueen and MacGraw fascinating, as they were having an affair during… More
  Good movie. I thought The Getaway was brilliantly directed by Sam Peckinpah, as he built up the suspense throughout, and all the action scenes looked authentic and were cleverly shot. Also, I found the scenes with McQueen and MacGraw fascinating, as they were having an affair during filming. In particular the scene where McQueen slaps MacGraw, which was apparently unscripted. The Getaway is a cool movie, and that's not just because Mr cool personified Steve McQueen's in it, their were many different layers and nice sub plot

• Andre T

  
  Good action movie by the master sam Peckimpah.Some humor moments of really bad taste makes me give this movie only three stars.

• alan j

  
  Gritty and violent..this is vintage Peckinpah....McQueen and Macgraw sizzle in the southwestern heat....tense and suspenseful drama..this is really good stuff

• Patrick D

  
  Pekinpah can make a flick. I can't believe that this film is rated PG, don't let that rating fool you, it still has balls. And I'm not necessarily a fan of Steve McQueen but I loved him in this. I really want a suit like his.

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