The Getaway
1972 Directed by Sam Peckinpah
Synopsis
They're Hot - McQueen/MacGraw
A recently released ex-con and his loyal wife go on the run after a heist goes awry. Doc McCoy gets bailed out of prison by his wife, Carol, on the condition that the two pull off a bank heist for a corrupt politician. But Doc learns that things aren't on the level as he and Carol try to make off with lots of cash.
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There's nothing about this film that isn't brilliant. At least, nothing I can think of. Peckinpah really took it to another level here and that's remarkable for a man whose entire career was based on taking things too far. The thing is that this film has elements that are disturbing even now.
Too many filmmakers these days look to shock for it's own sake, but Peckinpah was doing shock and violence before Tarantino grew out of diapers. In a lot of ways, he did it better. The violence in this picture is cold and emotionless. It runs right through the characters and into you so that you're living inside of it. There's no need for characters driving around covered in…
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Just my second time watching this, this time on the big screen (though it was "digital" not a print, so not as good as it should have been). The Peckinpah action scenes are amazing in that setting, and the score by Quincy Jones is quite good, and a little out of the ordinary for both the director and genre. A great cast of character actors is backing McQueen and McGraw, but it's McGraw (and her poorly written character-I blame Walter Hill) who is the weakest link in the film, barely emoting the entire movie. There's also the inexplicable lack of chemistry between the leads, famed for their off-screen romance! I found the Lettieri side plot with Sally Struthers far more tolerable and entertaining the second time around; the first I found it to be too distractingly weird. Worth seeing for the great locations, character actors and action.
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You ever wonder why there are not more female characters in Sam Peckinpah films? THE GETAWAY is the answer to that question. To say Sam Peckinpah has a complicated relationship with his female characters is a bit of an understatement. In this film Ali MacGraw is forced to have sex with a sleazy politician, slapped around by McQueen, pranced around in a blouse that has both of her breasts barely staying covered, and basically thought of as an after thought in nearly every scene she is in. And she gets more respect than any other woman in this picture.
THE GETAWAY is a 'heist-gone-wrong" film. As per the genre conventions, there are double crosses, then the protagonist (anti-hero) spends the…
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Full of interesting character moments, quirks, and Peckinpah touches along with the kind of lowbrow grittiness that made the 70's such a special time in American film. The Getaway manages to be both a crowd-pleasing star vehicle and an auteurist work.
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Watched as part of my Sam Peckinpah's Manly Man's Films season. It's taken me 20 years to watch the Getaway. I first tried to watch it in high school on TV. I got about 20 minutes in and fell asleep. I tried again in college. Got about halfway through and had to go out. When I came back I wasn't in the mood and somehow it never got finished. I tried again this morning. Got about 30 minutes in and had to stop because I just couldn't focus on it. There's something about the Getaway that rubs me up the wrong way. Which is too bad because the second half is great but by then I was poisoned by my…
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Sam Peckinpah is arguably one of the most respected directors of his generation, but I, personally have never been a massive fan, or really understood much of the acclaim. The Wild Bunch is a good movie for what it is, but there are massive problems with the pacing and some of the performances. Straw Dogs, likewise, has some of the similar problems, and even on a repeat viewing, I only found it to be a solid thriller, as opposed to the classic that it’s so portrayed to be.
The Getaway, released in 1972, just one year after the Dustin Hoffman starring Straw Dogs, is a much superior film to the two aforementioned ones. Peckinpah, at this time, at the height…
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It's entertaining, but cheesy, this might be more due to when it was made than to the how, but the fact remains, it's not all that great.
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Full of interesting character moments, quirks, and Peckinpah touches along with the kind of lowbrow grittiness that made the 70's such a special time in American film. The Getaway manages to be both a crowd-pleasing star vehicle and an auteurist work.
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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SAM PECKINPAH + WALTER HILL
MCQUEEN + ALI MACGRAWParafrasejant a Schuster, "No hace falta decir nada más!".
O potser sí, destacar l'escena de les costelles de Rudy dins del cotxe, digne de l'humor i la mala llet de Walter hill.Un clàssic de bandera.
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Watched as part of my Sam Peckinpah's Manly Man's Films season. It's taken me 20 years to watch the Getaway. I first tried to watch it in high school on TV. I got about 20 minutes in and fell asleep. I tried again in college. Got about halfway through and had to go out. When I came back I wasn't in the mood and somehow it never got finished. I tried again this morning. Got about 30 minutes in and had to stop because I just couldn't focus on it. There's something about the Getaway that rubs me up the wrong way. Which is too bad because the second half is great but by then I was poisoned by my…
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Great film, classic Pekinpah.
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Great beginning...
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A gritty story about some pretty grimy people, The Getaway is one of my favorite Peckinpah films. The level of detail in the story causes for a nice, slow burn, but never is this one a bore. The cinematography is fantastic as is the score, and of course McQueen is as cool as a calculated cucumber. The Getaway is one of the finest examples of '70s tough guy cinema and, it should be said, the Blu looks incredible.
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Great movie. McQueen was terrific as he usually is. McGraw, although beautiful, is a lousy actress - she lacks personality.