Director Sam Peckinpah struck pay dirt with this adaptation of author Jim Thompson's novel about an inside bank job in contemporary Texas. Not only did "The Getaway" prove to be a hit for Peckinpah but it also bolstered Steve McQueen's career. Previously, Peckinpah and McQueen had collaborated on "Junior Bonner," but "Bonner" did nothing for them at the box office. The film is an amazingly mellow movie for a Peckinpah film and is comparable to "The Ballad of Cable Hogue." Conversely, "The Getaway" contained virtually everything that a Peckinpah movie needed, primarily action, intrigue, and violence. Mind you, "The Getaway" wasn't as intense as "The Wild Bunch" and not as heavy-handed philosophically as "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid." Despite its somewhat kinky subplot, "The Getaway" is the kind of Peckinpah movie where things go right for the hero and the heroine with an amenable ending.
Texas millionaire Jack Benyon (Ben Johnson of "The Wild Bunch") needs a top gun to rob one of his banks, and Carter 'Doc' McCoy (Steve McQueen of "Bullitt") is going to pieces slowly in Huntsville Prison. Every time that he applies for parole, he gets shot down. Doc gets his wife Carol (Ali MacGraw of "Love Story") to get to Johnson. Doc wins his parole, but he thinks that Carol sold him out. Nevertheless, he meets once with Benyon in San Antonio and greets his team of men for the bank heist. They have their conference aboard the little party barges on the Riverwalk tourist attraction. During the planning stages of the robbery, tempers flare between Doc and Rudy Butler (Al Letteri of "McQ") about the use of bullet-proof vests. Anyway, Doc cases the bank and they check out its alarm system. Meanwhile, Doc has Rudy and Frank Jackson (Bo Hopkins of "The Killer Elite") to plant explosive charges at different ends of town to distract the authorities when the robbery goes down. During the robbery, Frank loses his cool. Our heroes get away with the loot, but Rudy murders Frank and tries to double-cross Doc. Doc is just a little too fast for him. Ironically, despite his boasts of not wearing a bullet-proof vest, Rudy is wearing a vest when Doc nails him and leaves him for dead. Rudy takes an animal doctor (Jack Dodson) and his wife (Sally Struthers of TV's "All in the Family") hostage and has the husband dress his wounds. Rudy and company follow Doc and Carol. At Jack Benyon's house, Carol guns Jack down, but Doc doesn't trust her. They head for El Paso with Rudy hot on their trail. "The Getaway" represented a personal high for Peckinpah and the film made a killing at the box office. The opening scenes that depict Doc's mental breakdown behind bars are masterful. Lettieri makes a nefarious villain and Ben Johnson is simply dastardly. The final shoot-out in a motel in El Paso is great. When our heroes get to the border, they have to deal with an old cowboy (Slim Pickins) and sells them his truck. A memorable Peckinpah epic.
Texas millionaire Jack Benyon (Ben Johnson of "The Wild Bunch") needs a top gun to rob one of his banks, and Carter 'Doc' McCoy (Steve McQueen of "Bullitt") is going to pieces slowly in Huntsville Prison. Every time that he applies for parole, he gets shot down. Doc gets his wife Carol (Ali MacGraw of "Love Story") to get to Johnson. Doc wins his parole, but he thinks that Carol sold him out. Nevertheless, he meets once with Benyon in San Antonio and greets his team of men for the bank heist. They have their conference aboard the little party barges on the Riverwalk tourist attraction. During the planning stages of the robbery, tempers flare between Doc and Rudy Butler (Al Letteri of "McQ") about the use of bullet-proof vests. Anyway, Doc cases the bank and they check out its alarm system. Meanwhile, Doc has Rudy and Frank Jackson (Bo Hopkins of "The Killer Elite") to plant explosive charges at different ends of town to distract the authorities when the robbery goes down. During the robbery, Frank loses his cool. Our heroes get away with the loot, but Rudy murders Frank and tries to double-cross Doc. Doc is just a little too fast for him. Ironically, despite his boasts of not wearing a bullet-proof vest, Rudy is wearing a vest when Doc nails him and leaves him for dead. Rudy takes an animal doctor (Jack Dodson) and his wife (Sally Struthers of TV's "All in the Family") hostage and has the husband dress his wounds. Rudy and company follow Doc and Carol. At Jack Benyon's house, Carol guns Jack down, but Doc doesn't trust her. They head for El Paso with Rudy hot on their trail. "The Getaway" represented a personal high for Peckinpah and the film made a killing at the box office. The opening scenes that depict Doc's mental breakdown behind bars are masterful. Lettieri makes a nefarious villain and Ben Johnson is simply dastardly. The final shoot-out in a motel in El Paso is great. When our heroes get to the border, they have to deal with an old cowboy (Slim Pickins) and sells them his truck. A memorable Peckinpah epic.