A Reel Retro Review: THE GETAWAY (1972)

 Reel Speak’s Retro Reviews will randomly review a classic film from the TCM library every week, with the intention of introducing some overlooked and perhaps forgotten screen gems from the past to those of us who may be unfamiliar or unawares of their existence. 

 

When the conversation moves to who should be on the Mount Rushmore of Actors, the name of Steve McQueen is always near the top. An American icon who popularized the “anti-hero”, McQueen was at the front of many classic films, such as BULLITT (1968), THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963), and THE TOWERING INFERNO (1974). One of his often overlooked films is his action thriller THE GETAWAY from 1972. 

 

After being released from prison, Doc McCoy (McQueen), and his wife Carol (Ali MacGraw), take on a bank robbery job to repay Jack Beynon (Ben Johnson), a corrupt businessman who arranged the parole. When the job goes south, Doc and Carol attempt to flee to Mexico. 

 

Directed by Sam Peckinpah and written by Walter Hill, THE GETAWAY follows Doc and Carol as they make their way to Mexico with a bag full of money, avoiding the police while swapping vehicles and hopping trains. Also in pursuit are Beynon’s goons, along with Rudy (Al Lettieri), a crook was in on the bank job who kidnaps a veterinarian and his wife (Jack Dodson, Sally Struthers), to drive him cross-country on the chase. 

 

The heart of the story belongs to the relationship between Doc and Carol. After so many years in prison, the two have drifted apart, and their getaway across the country digs up past and current grievances and issues. It’s a husband-and-wife tale mixed with a heist and chase film, and the two genres mix together well. 

 

Director Sam Peckinpah keeps the energy going high, and generates a lot of tension between the two leads and during the chase and standoff scenes. Some of the film shows it’s age; Doc gets into gunfights for no other reason other than spectacle, and Doc’s treatment of Carol when she upsets him is something that is hard to watch and a product of its time. The score by Quincy Jones is excellent. 

 

Steve McQueen embraces his role as the anti-hero in THE GETAWAY, and comes off as a gruff and stone-hearted man. It’s hard to feel any empathy for him. Ali MacGraw is a delight and is the one character that we actually want to root for. 

 

THE GETAWAY, despite showing its age here and there, is a solid action flick that has the unfortunate disadvantage of being compared to some of McQueen’s other, towering films. It’s a film that wouldn’t be carved on the McQueen Mount Rushmore of films, but it would be in the conversation. 

 

BOTTOM LINE: See it 

 

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THE GETAWAY features two actors who would appear in THE GODFATHER films; Al Letteri, who would play The Turk Sollozzo, and Richard Bright, who would play Al Neri. Screenwriter Walter Hill would go on to direct mainstream and cult-favorite hits such as THE WARRIORS (1979), 48 HRS (1982), STREETS OF FIRE (1984), and BREWSTER’S MILLIONS (1985).