The Getaway (1972)

The Getaway (1972) – A convict (Steve McQueen)gets out of prison with the promise that he and his wife (Ali McGraw) would pull off a bank robbery.  Turns out that he can’t trust anyone and that getting away is the hardest part of the deal.

Directed by Sam Peckinpah                          Starring – Steve McQueen, Ali McGraw, Ben Johnson

There are plenty of reasons to like this movie.  Steve McQueen.  Ali McGraw.  Steve McQueen driving cars fast.  Sam Peckinpah’s signature shooting scenes.  Walter Hill’s script offers some very nice little lines and “moments”. This was the movie where McQueen and McGraw fell in love.

Steve McQueen.

Ali McGraw.

But I can’t help feeling a little let down by it all.  At just over two hours, the movie is slow.  While McGraw is simply gorgeous and just a little vulnerable, the reality is that she was not much of an actress.  There are moments when you see a little fire there but then they disappear.  On the other hand, she’s Ali McGraw, and do I really care?  Mostly no.

Given all it had going for it, the movie finished in the top 10 in box office for the year.  Peckinpah disliked that McQueen got final editorial control.  The director felt the star chose “safe” over “interesting”.  McGraw acknowledged later that she didn’t like her perfomance here either.

There’s a very interesting supporting cast – Slim Pickens (some of the best moments are with him at the very end), Ben Johnson (a much overlooked actor, solid here but brilliant in “The Last Picture Show”), Sally Struthers, Al Lettieri, Dub Taylor and Jack Dodson.  All of them add at least one excellent moment to the movie.

In the end, the whole remains less than the sum of its parts.  For a getaway, there never seems to be much urgency.  I kept waiting for the movie to take off, for the tension and suspense to grab me by the throat.  It never came.

But hey.  Steve McQueen.  Ali McGraw.

Why I Liked It – Peckinpah does a nice job giving you a “feel” for the setting.

Why You Will Like It – Steve McQueen.  Ali McGraw.

Rating – *** Worth A Look