secondtake
The Getaway (1972)A striking, very characteristic period piece that owes something (a lot) to "Bonnie and Clyde" from five years earlier. Steve McQueen is strong, in his silently brooding, intense way. And he rules the movie. His counterpart (his wife, actually), is played by Ali MacGraw (of "Love Story" fame) who is predictably a bit drab, though she fits the mold of the times.So who makes the movie even slightly great? The photographer and editor, and therefore the director, Sam Pickinpaw, who had risen up with "The Wild Bunch" and "Straw Dogs," both better films than this one. The combination of natural, smart visuals (thanks to Lucian Ballard) and amazingly back and forth editing that would make Christopher Nolan proud (thanks to Robert Wolfe, who would go on to do a number of interesting films), the movie has punch and fresh energy.The plot is fairly straight up—Doc McCoy gets out of jail thanks to a "favor" by his wife with a crime king. The debt is paid with more crime, and so the movie follows the new heist. Parallel to this is the reunification of McCoy with his wife. And she is involved in the new job, so the interweaving continues.So in a way, the plot does its job keeping the other elements in place. The movie is fast, and has a lot of changes and interesting aspects. The settings are great—Texas in the early 1970s— and the feeling of small crime in the big world makes a great backdrop. McQueen is smart and wily, and a lot of the small parts are strong, especially Slim Pickens at the end.It also sums up the attempts in New Hollywood to be shocking and new. Worth seeing.
alexanderdavies-99382
Sam Peckinpah was one of those craftsmen who made violence on the screen look like poetry in motion. He was one of those filmmakers who helped to re-invent and introduce American audiences to a new kind of film. He certainly succeeds with "The Getaway." Steve McQueen was at the height of his box office drawing power when he made this movie. He and Peckinpah complimented each other. The action set pieces are first class but "The Getaway" also has a good story that cranks up the tension a notch or two. Easily one of the best crime movies of all time.
Wizard-8
While the movie "The Getaway" certainly has the kind of entertainment people look for in a 1970s crime movie - action scenes that pack a punch, slimy antagonists that you hope will get what they deserve (actor Al Lettieri really makes a good villain) - what really makes the movie interesting are the unexpected touches. The two central characters (McQueen and MacGraw) that we follow throughout the movie, for one thing, aren't terribly likable. They not only abuse in various ways assorted people along their journey, they also subject each other to abuse as well. Yet oddly, while you'll dislike them, they are interesting enough that you can't help but keep watching to see how they will end up. Another interesting factor is that the movie seems to be commenting on masculinity - what makes a man a true man, and how a man should act in various situations. I don't want to spoil things, but I will mention it's seen with both McQueen and MacGraw as well as the subplot with Lettieri. You might not agree with director Sam Peckinpah and scripter Walter Hill on their opinions on masculinity or how lead characters should act, but what they have to say is definitely interesting, and just one aspect of why "The Getaway" is worth a look.
HardSteelMill
Before watching "The Getaway," I thought it would be a decent, entertaining, 70s-style action film - not a classic, but a solid, enjoyable movie. Steve McQueen was known as one of the first "cool" movie stars, and rightly so. Sam Peckinpah was known for directing movies that were violent, stylish, and fast-paced. With "The Getaway" he scored one out of three. What little violence there is isn't even entertaining, since it's not "action," per se, but rather criminals murdering other criminals.For a story about bank robbers on the run from the police and other criminals, "The Getaway" is surprisingly lifeless and anemic. The plot has no drive or momentum. There are a couple of head-scratching segments that seem completely out of place, as if the screenwriter ran out of ideas and had to stop and think for fifteen minutes before writing the next scene. On top of all that, Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw both play unsympathetic characters, and the numerous scenes with Al Lettieri and the woman who becomes his hostage/lover just hurt your eyes."The Getaway" has no redeeming qualities: it's boring, it's unpleasant, it's sleazy, it's too long, and the plot makes little sense. In fact, if this movie had been made with an unknown director and unknown cast, it's unlikely that it would be known today at all. That's how bad "The Getaway" is.
AD
