The Getaway (1972)
April 27th 2010 00:10
The Getaway
Well God Damn – ain’t this just one heck of a ride, a true classic in every sense. The Getaway is a gift of escapism and thrilling escapades from one of the masters of cinematic violence and consequence, Sam Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch, Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid). After ‘Straw Dogs’ tied with ‘Bring Me The Head Of Alfreda Garcia’, The Getaway is a close second (okay, okay, that’s cheating, but what the fun in saying that something is your third favourite, really!). It’s also Peckinpah’s, potentially, most accessible film.
A film by Sam Peckinpah
Made in 1972, Sam Peckinpah’s The Getaway feels like somewhat of a departure for him, almost like watching Peckinpah on a leash, strictly confined to the limits of the genre this film finds it self in. As ‘The Getaway’ unfolds, unexpected turns and flourishes reveal a more restrained Peckinpah, we are witness to a film maker maturing, verging on the near poetry that his next film ‘Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid’ would display.
Ex-con Doc McCoy, played by Steve McQueen (Bullitt, Papillion, The Great Escape) has taken on the job of leading a bank heist not a moment after he’s been released from jail. His wife, Carol McCoy, played by Ali Macgraw (Convoy, Love Story) is his accomplice along with two other men including one particular bad seed Rudy Butler, played by the ‘I’m so ugly that I’m scary’ Al Lettieri (The Godfather, Mr. Majestyk). This operation is controlled by the brains of Jack Beynon, played by Peckinpah regular Ben Johnson (The Last Picture Show, One Eyed Jacks). When Rudy makes a grab for glory, he falls in a stand off against Doc. Doc and his wife take the money and run for it, with Rudy, the cops and gangsters never far behind. It’s clear that this caper film is an instant inspiration on several other films such as ‘True Romance’ and others in that vein.
As these two love birds make their way across the country in this ‘every man for him self’ tale of double crossing, betrayal, shoot outs, car chases and cons it pushes the relationship these two have right to it’s edge and this is where the real magic in The Getaway lies – it has a heart, albeit, a very wild heart but a heart all the same. In this tightly structured, no holding back thrill ride of a film there’s a genuine fragility to the husband and wife’s relationship and this might be the biggest threat of all. There are times where you really feel the brittle ground beneath their bond, a mistrust is in the air between them constantly and everything centres around whether it will pull them apart completely or bring them closer.
It can be truly unexpected at times to see where the film takes you story wise, The Getaway has the kind of energy that can be achieved only by shooting a film in chronological order, it has that kind of momentum, where you discover things unfolding in front of you with a true sense of urgency. Discoveries in the story have an authentic feel to them which heighten your viewing experience, where plot points feel more like visceral revelations. It’s movie making at it's most exciting. In fact there’s one scene towards the end involving a garbage truck that is worth price of purchase alone.
Clearly McQueen is no stranger to this kind of action and once again he doesn’t disappoint, yes yes he’s a seriously cool sonofabitch, he’s always in control – even while he’s sporting a bowl cut, we know that, but the close shots photographed of him intimately pick up flutters of thought and nuance in his expression. His bruised ego and tough guy sincerity play as a nice counterpoint to Ali Macgraw’s multivalent attitude, you’re never quite sure how much she knows, whether that innocence of hers is being used to reel you in or not. Peckinpah’s portrayal of women was always controversial, but any appeared misogyny seen in his film’s, for me anyway, always seemed to have a personal point of view, it represented an underlying issue with the males in his films more than anything else.
Mistrust starts to brew between lovers
The most important quality in the story is the dynamic between the husband and wife, if the two actors didn’t make it work then ‘The Getaway’ would be seriously lacking in scope, but the chemistry between McQueen and Macgraw is wonderful, everything they go through feels real, the way they look at each other transcends acting, in fact if you watch or read the Robert Evans bio, ‘The Kid Stays in the Picture’ Ali Macgraw drifted apart from Evans during this shoot and fell in love with McQueen, so when you see the emotions between these two actors on screen - it’s real.
There are, like many other Peckinpah films, the usual touches to be found, children who are witness to violence and as a result born into it, final moments of men’s lives ending in extreme acts of violence rendered in slow motion but there are also some unexpected touches to be found here, even some off beat Hal Ashby type comedy in a few places. Also, if you are looking for action scenes that are executed flawlessly, then 'The Getaway' has them in spades. What The Getaway gives us is a caper that couldn’t run out of steam if it tried, it takes us to fun places, thrilling places and even heart breaking places and it proves, indelibly, that Sam Peckinpah is so much more than a one note violent action director.
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Cool review,
The film is a ride from its monotonous improv jazz clanging cage door opening credits to the gunpowder and hearts closing.
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
Thought you'd like this one!
How good is that scene in the garbage truck - hell of a ride!