The Getaway (1972)

Director:

Sam Peckinpah

Writers:

Walter Hill (screenplay)
Jim Thompson (novel)

Release Date:

13 December 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

They're Hot - McQueen/MacGraw

Plot:

A recently released ex-con and his loyal wife go on the run after a heist goes awry.

Plot Keywords:

Heist | On The Run | Betrayal | Police | Ex Convict

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Steve McQueen	...	Doc McCoy
Ali MacGraw	...	Carol McCoy
Ben Johnson	...	Jack Beynon
Sally Struthers	...	Fran Clinton
Al Lettieri	...	Rudy Butler
Slim Pickens	...	Cowboy
Richard Bright	...	The Thief
Jack Dodson	...	Harold Clinton
Dub Taylor	...	Laughlin
Bo Hopkins	...	Frank Jackson
Roy Jenson	...	Cully
John Bryson	...	The Accountant
Bill Hart	...	Swain
Tom Runyon	...	Hayhoe
Whitney Jones	...	The Soldier

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 (re-rating, uncut) | USA:PG (cut) | UK:X (original rating) | Iceland:16 | France:-12 | Norway:16 (cut) (1973) | Norway:18 (uncut) | Portugal:M/16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-18 | Germany:16 (re-rating) | Italy:VM14 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:18 (nf) | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

El Paso, Texas, USA

Company:

First Artists

Trivia:

The movie was supposed be directed by Peter Bogdanovich and star Cybill Shepherd, his girlfriend at the time. When Shepherd was replaced by Ali MacGraw. Bogdanovich left the project and was replaced with Sam Peckinpah. MacGraw then fell in love with costar Steve McQueen and broke up with her husband, Paramount production executive Robert Evans.

Goofs:

Continuity: The grey mercury driven by carol at the drive-in hits at least one other car head on, yet in later scenes the nose is intact.

Quotes:

Carter 'Doc' McCoy: If you're trying to get me back in Huntsville, you're going about it the right way.
Carol Ainsley McCoy: Well I just wouldn't worry about that Doc, becasue I can always get you out, you know I can screw every prison official in Texas if I have to!
Carter 'Doc' McCoy: Texas is a big state.
Carol Ainsley McCoy: I can handle it.
Carter 'Doc' McCoy: Yeah, I bet you can.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Alpha to Omega: Exposing 'The Osterman Weekend' (2004) (V)

Hypnotic, violent classic

Was wondering why they don't make films like this anymore. Then it dawned on me. It has ambiguous morals and doesn't particularly ask for or seek redemption. The hero is a killer and bank robber, he says little and therefore you should have to work hard to empathize with him. But it comes easy because everyone else around Doc McCoy is ten times worse than he is. And Doc is played by Steve McQueen. A magnificent brooding presence who's character doesn't stop to question his actions, because if he did he'd die or get arrested. And this is where it is so much better than a contemporary film of the same vein. It's not made with actors who are scared that their image might be tarnished or misunderstood, it is not made by film-makers who are scared they might upset someone, it is not made by people who particularly need to be loved. So what you get is a story that rings true, a piece of fiction that at no time stops to apologize for itself. It grabs you, says this is what I am, and if you're hooked then great. If not go and watch Bambi or something.

A bona fide classic piece of storytelling.