IMDb >
Charley Varrick (1973)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at
blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
blockbuster.com
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsCharley Varrick (1973) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 7 | slideshow) |
Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
19 September 1973 (Sweden) moreTagline:
He stole from the Mob, now he's running for his life. morePlot:
Charley Varrick and his friends rob a small town bank. Expecting a small sum to divide amongst themselves... more | add synopsisAwards:
Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 nomination moreUser Comments:
Towards the top of the list for both Walter Matthau and director Don Siegel moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Walter Matthau | ... | Charley Varrick | |
| Joe Don Baker | ... | Molly | |
| Felicia Farr | ... | Sybil Fort | |
| Andrew Robinson | ... | Harman Sullivan (as Andy Robinson) | |
| Sheree North | ... | Jewell Everett | |
| Norman Fell | ... | Mr. Garfinkle | |
| Benson Fong | ... | Honest John | |
| Woodrow Parfrey | ... | Harold Young | |
| William Schallert | ... | San Miguel Sheriff Bill Horton | |
| Jacqueline Scott | ... | Nadine | |
| Marjorie Bennett | ... | Mrs. Taft | |
| Rudy Diaz | ... | Deputy Sanchez | |
| Colby Chester | ... | Deputy Steele | |
| Charlie Briggs | ... | Highway deputy | |
| Priscilla Garcia | ... | Miss Ambar |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Kill Charley Varrick (Europe: English title)The Last of the Independents (USA) (working title)
more
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
111 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)Certification:
Singapore:PG | West Germany:16 (nf) (re-rating) | West Germany:18 (nf) (original rating) | France:Unrated | UK:15 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:PGFun Stuff
Trivia:
Charley's old mobile home was located near the home of well known Nevada artist Afton Frederick, who allowed the use of her home for some exterior shots. Her husband Cliff Frederick helped the crew with the night security of the old Varrick mobile home, because the roof of Varrick's home was fully removed for the ease of the camera and lighting work inside. The weather was extremely warm during the filming, which lasted seven weeks in the Dayton, Carson City, and Genoa, Nevada area. moreGoofs:
Continuity: After Nadine dies and Charley is pouring gunpowder on her, her arm moves several times. moreQuotes:
Maynard Boyle: You need a rest, Harold. A long trip to someplace quiet. Another name, another country.Harold Young: I can't start my life over again now.
Maynard Boyle: You don't have much choice, Harold. They're gonna try to make you tell where the money is. You know what kind of people they are. They're gonna strip you naked and go to work on you with a pair of pliers and a blowtorch.
more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Charley Varrick (1973) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| The Getaway | The Outfit | Bullitt | Government Agents vs Phantom Legion | Pulp Fiction |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Crime section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |








Charley Varrick (Walter Matthau) is a former stunt pilot turned independent crop duster who is on the low end of the socio-economic scale. He lives in a trailer park with his girlfriend, Nadine (Jacqueline Scott). He decides to supplement his income by robbing a small bank in a backwater New Mexican town. Unfortunately, not everything goes as planned.
I watched Charley Varrick (in a fine widescreen transfer by the way; at present only a bad pan and scan version appears to exist on DVD) during a TCM channel marathon of director Don Siegel's films. I had just finished Madigan (1968), which I didn't care that much for (although I thought the limited action sequences were good and the direction fine), and was about to finally shut off the television and go to sleep. However, Walter Matthau is one of my favorite actors, and Charley Varrick was starting almost immediately after the end of Madigan, so I figured I'd at least "peek" at the first few minutes. That was a long peek, because this is one excellent film. Charley Varrick ended up with a 10 out of 10 from me.
It probably wouldn't be quite so good without Matthau as the lead. He's had a plethora of fantastic performances, but none are better than Charley Varrick (many are just as good). Matthau was perfectly cast--he had exactly the right age, the right look, and the right disposition for this role. His understated, intelligent manner makes the character and his actions eminently believable within the context of the film. As this is a film that hinges on a fairly complex, logically intricate plot, believability within the context of the film is very important.
Not that the other elements aren't laudable. Siegel's direction--most of it imbued with a great, gritty, early 1970s "feel"--is impeccable, and ranges from a series of beautiful shots of the countryside during the opening credits to elaborately staged, underhanded "clues" as to the "plot beneath the plot"--during most of the middle section, Varrick makes a number of moves that would seem bizarre if taken at their surface value, but he's really hatching a scheme to extricate himself from the mire he's sunken into. None of this is explicitly stated, but Siegel easily conveys it with his direction. There is even one point--right after a character named Molly (Joe Don Baker) visits Jewell Everett (Sheree North), that it seems like maybe Siegel made a fatal misstep, and a scene or two are missing, but I retained faith that it would work out in the end, and it did, seamlessly.
The rest of the cast is fantastic, as well, and of course a film like this wouldn't succeed without a great script, in this case written by Dean Riesner and Howard Rodman from a John Reese novel. This is a too-little-known gem that deserves wider recognition and better treatment, such as a good DVD transfer with lots of extras.