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Rating:  -
Steve was all these things, and is he ever sorely missed. Steve, you died too young. Even with all his dark moods, unpredictability and reckless behavior, he had such a presence on film anyone in Hollywood would would put up with it just to be near him. This movie was written just for him, I can't imagine anyone else, especially not prissy Alec Baldwin, in that part. Ally McGraw was having an affair with Steve at the time so that's probably why she's the female lead. She's attractive, but I never cared for her acting. Sally Struthers played the dumb bimbo girlfriend to the thug that was after Steve with well acted dumb bimboness. If you know Sam Peckinpaw's movies you know the level of violence is integeral to the story. Enjoy!
Rating: -
Steve Mcqueen has set many standards for action movies. The car chase, the gun fight, the heist, the getaway. These different elements were all pretty much perfected with Steve Mcqueen. There are a lot of movies that have used a lot of these same techniques to a successful degree. However, what no action movie has matched since is the man himself. All of the successful ingredients of an action movie are here in this movie. But it is Steve Mcqueen, the realist, the quiet one who dominates with his persona. He is in total control and rules the screen with pure confidence. There is very little in the way of Hollywood type dialogue. In fact, the dialogue is very to the point. It is everday dialogue couched in an action film.
This is what makes Mcqueen's movies so damn special. The action is in the Action. Everything is geared towards a life-like conflict, problems that you don't want to deal with, but have to.
Mcqueen is the master of this realm of character. He is the reluctant hero who is good at a job, one he doesn't necessarily like. When mistakes are made, he cleans them up under pressure.
I suppose, in a lot of ways, Mcqueen represents a certain way of dealing with modern problems, modern stresses. Mcqueen's characters are not perfect, but they are effective.
Rating: -
This film has many layers.
It is one of the best action movies ever made. It is full of graphic beatings, intimidation, sexual sadism, shootings, fires and car crashes. The Texas prison guards and police look real and mean business. The criminals look and act like real criminals - seedy, ignorant, brutal, and callous. When Beynon (whose name in pronounced "Benyan" throughout the movie) is found dead his brother orders his henchmen not to waste time burying the body, saying "dump it down a dry well, if you can find one." McQueen handles the 12 gauge shotgun and .45 Government Model pistol adroitly as befits an ex-Marine and the shoot-outs are very believable. The wounds look real, the dead people look dead. In reality, two people could not survive such a series of violent encounters unscathed, but it's a movie, so they do. Such is the magic of film that we believe it all happens just as we see it.
It's a portrait of life in a certain time and place, Texas in the early 1970's. The background scenes are very unselfconscious and natural - the accents, the heat, the mesquite, and barbecue, the open and friendly manner of Texans. The extras seem to have been there all along, living their lives; the camera just happens to catch them as they respond to the whirlwind of violence that rolls into town with McQueen and MacGraw.
It's the story of a strong sexual relationship between two very attractive people. It is not surprising that Steve and Ali became sexually involved off the screen and eventually married. The chemistry is obvious and clearly communicated, even though the standards of the time did not require the sexual explicitness that we have become accustomed to these days.
It is an exceptionally well made film. Every frame hold one's interest. In fact, Peckinpah's mastery of the visual aspect of film is such that each PART of each frame holds one's interest.
The plot is intriguing. How is "Doc" going to get out of prison, and how is he going to rob the bank, and who is going to betray whom, and how? And how are he and "Carol" going to finally get to Mexico? Only the ending has a false ring. "Doc" and "Carol" are ruthless criminals in spite of their good looks and classy clothes, but we prefer to think they are misunderstood lovers, and we want true love to win out in the end, so we accept this ending. But as others have pointed out this is not how the book ended, and it is not consistent with the overall tone of the movie.
"The Getaway" is a powerful portrayal of the criminal mind as it acts out its ruthless greed and selfishness. But two amoral people like "Doc" and "Carol" could in the end never have really trusted each other. Thompson's story makes this clear, while Peckinpah's film muddies these waters in order to provide an acceptable "Hollywood" ending.
This review is based on the VHS version.
Update Oct. 20, 2007:
I have just seen the DVD version for the first time. Visually it is a significant improvement over the VHS version. The music is more coherent, less sappy. The critical commentary track provides some very interesting insights into the acting and Peckinpah's film technique. The "virtual" commentary by Peckinpah, MacGraw, and McQueen reveals all three to be fairly inarticulate and lacking in insight - Ali gushes on and on about what a great actor McQueen is, when what she really means is how much in love with him she is.
It's still a great film, even better on DVD.
Rating: -
Sorry, I couldn't resist the title.
Most people think Bullett is Steve McQueen's best. I think The Getaway is much better. Well, no accounting for tastes, is there?
The Getaway is a gritty, realistic view of 'Doc' McCoy (Steve McQueen) as a professional bank robber. Released early from prison by virtue (or lack thereof) his wife, Carol (Ali McGraw), Doc immediately plans another hold up as part of the conditions of his release. During the course of events he meets several unsavory charactors who seem intent on his destruction. The highlight of the film is a shoot out in a southwestern hotel with machinegun toting gangsters and a vengeful Rudy (former bank job partner and all around not-nice guy). Steve is trying to make his getaway using a 12 guage as the door. The movie is directed by Sam Peckinpah -- need I say more?
The movie is low key, as Steve tends to be, but packs a punch in its realism. This could actually happen, one thinks. Several small plots underlie the main one of a getaway into Mexico w/ the stolen money. Steve turns in a outstanding performance as the anti-hero and has you cheering each time he eludes his pursuers once again.
Certainly a good evenings entertainment and well worth the investment if you collect movies (if you don't, just rent it from the local Blockbuster). This might be a bit violent for younger kids, but teens should take to it just fine.
--Highly Recommended--
~P~
Rating: -
This review is for the 2005 Warner Brothers DVD.
The movie opens in a Texas prison where Doc McCoy (Steve McQueen) is doing time for armed robbery. He is denied parole and has to come to terms that the only way to get out early is to bribe a prison board member, Jack Beynon (Ben Johnson) by indulging him with sexual favors with McCoy's wife Carol (Ali McGraw). The dirty deed is done and McCoy is then paroled, but Beynon coerces Doc into doing one major bank job with a collection of other crooks that Beynon has assembled. This sets up a big heist with several twists and turns along the way for an action packed film.
I've seen just about all of McQueen's movies and this is my favorite. First, I like the opening scenes in a real Texas prison. The guards and other prisoners aren't actors - they are the real deal. This rest of the movie is shot in Texas also. I don't recall seeing a single scene that appeared to be made in a Hollywood backlot. The plot of this movie is original. It's more than just a bank robbery and car chases. There are a series of interesting confrontations and slick double-crosses that add a lot of pizzazz to the film. The street-smart character of Doc McCoy played by McQueen is what sets this apart from most action films. His uncanny knack of figuring out what's going on and eluding his advisories is what makes it an extra special movie. Ali McGraw is beautiful, but her acting is suspect at times. Sally Struthers gives a wonderful performance as a ditzy, yet too sympathetic hostage. Slim Pickens also does a stellar job as an older, but very spirited cowboy.
As for the DVD, the widescreen color presentation is near pristine. The stereo audio quality is excellent. There are plenty of commentary features on this DVD.
Movie: A-
DVD Quality: A-
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