The Getaway

Though its myriad of less-than-enthralling elements are compounded by a seriously overlong running time, The Getaway ultimately comes off as an above-average thriller that’s elevated by the inclusion of several electrifying sequences and an expectedly charismatic turn from Steve McQueen. The storyline follows recently-paroled convict Doc McCoy (McQueen) as he and his girlfriend (Ali MacGraw’s Carol) are forced to go on the run after a bank heist goes awry, with the bulk of the proceedings detailing the couple’s efforts at reaching a safe house near the border while avoiding the murderous advances of a vicious cohort (Al Lettieri’s Rudy Butler). There’s little doubt that The Getaway takes an awfully long time to grow on the viewer, as the movie suffers from an almost egregiously slow opening half hour that’s exacerbated by Peckinpah’s reliance on eye-rollingly ostentatious editing tricks (with Quincy Jones’ grating score certainly not helping matters). The robbery that kicks the story into motion inevitably proves to be the film’s turning point, although – admittedly – the episodic midsection does ensure that some segments are far more enthralling than others (ie Doc must scour a train station after a petty thief makes away with his loot). Peckinpah’s penchant for visceral instances of violence is never more evident than in the movie’s action-packed final showdown, in which Doc is essentially forced to take on a small army’s worth of mob soldiers within a dilapidated hotel. It’s a fantastic sequence that inevitably cements The Getaway‘s place as a crackling thriller trapped within the confines of a bloated disappointment, which is a shame, certainly, given the strength of both McQueen and MacGraw’s work here (ie the revelation that the two actors fell in love on the set is hardly surprising, as the chemistry between their respective characters is palpable).

**1/2 out of ****