The Getaway

MPAA Rating

Theatrical Release Date

Dec 12, 1972

Genre(s)

Crime
Steve McQueen
Sam Peckinpah
Action & Adventure
Drama

Rating (Stars)

Description

It's better than the 1994 remake starring Kim Basinger and husband Alec Baldwin, but this 1972 thriller relies too heavily on the low-key star power of Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw, and the stylish violence of director Sam Peckinpah, reduced here to a mechanical echo of his former glory. McQueen plays a bank robber whose wife (MacGraw) makes a deal with a Texas politician to have her husband released from prison in return for a percentage from their next big heist. But when the plan goes sour, the couple must flee to Mexico as fast as they can, with a variety of gun-wielding thugs on their trail. MacGraw was duly skewered at the time for her dubious acting ability, but the film still has a raw, unglamorous quality that lends a timeless spin to the familiar crooks-on-the-lam scenario. As always, Peckinpah rises to the occasion with some audacious scenes of action and suspense, including a memorable chase on a train that still grabs the viewer's attention. Not a great film, but a must for McQueen and Peckinpah fans. --Jeff Shannon

Director

Sam Peckinpah

Stars

Steve McQueen
Ali MacGraw
Ben Johnson
Sally Struthers
Al Lettieri

Running Time

123 minutes

Original Price

$19.98

Current Value

$5.75

DVD Features

Closed-captioned
Color
Dubbed
DVD-Video
Subtitled
Widescreen
NTSC
2.40:1