Sam Peckinpah’s action packed 1972 crime thriller starred Steve McQueen as Carter “Doc” McCoy a career criminal who after being released from a stint in prison is hired by shady Texas businessman Jack Benyon (Ben Johnson) to plan and execute a bank robbery. Doc is joined by his wife Carol (Ali MacGraw) and two men handpicked by Benyon, Rudy (Al Lettieri) and Frank (Bo Hopkins). The robbery goes down without a hitch but soon after the situation becomes highly complicated due to dirty double crosses (including a theft of the stolen money), Doc and Carol’s own stormy relationship and the law who are on their trail.
The Getaway was based on a novel by Jim Thompson with a screenplay written by Walter Hill who would go on to direct several classics himself. The film was made after McQueen and Peckinpah’s first team up on Junior Bonner, which had been a great experience for both. The production ended up being volatile since McQueen, Peckinpah and co-star Al Lettieri were all heavy drinkers. Peckinpah even stated at one point: “I can’t direct when I’m sober”. MacGraw and McQueen also fell in love while working together which just added to the drama. Regardless of all the hullabaloo on set, The Getaway turned out to be a hit and remains one of McQueen and Peckinpah’s best efforts.
The film was remade in 1994 and had Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger in the lead roles. It’s actually a solid movie and we recommend checking it out if you love the original.
Included are a few of the great posters used to promote the film from around the world:
