Rating of
3/4
"The Getaway" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 01/30/12
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.
