THE GETAWAY ... THE ACTION REVIEW

"It takes two to make it ......... The big two." This basic manly man action story starts with a robber, "Doc" McCoy (McQueen) in prison. When his wife, Carol Ainsley McCoy (MacGraw) uses her body to get him out of prison, the ex-con decides to pull one last job, when a crooked sheriff, Sheriff Beynon (Ben Johnson) thinks Doc owes him a favor, and coerces him to do so. Once the deed is done, plans to divide the money go horribly wrong, and Beynon soon discovers that Doc has plans of his own, and the chase is on.The police and thugs with big guns give chase. The grim and gory misadventures of a husband and wife heist team take up the rest of the storyline, where things "heat up, amidst a hail of bullets, garbage, and sheer momentum." This is a gritty, bloody tale that flows fast and furious, which are what Peckinpah's films are famous for. One of Doc's hold-up partners, the menacing Ruby Butler (Al Letteri) forces Fran Clinton (Sally Struthers) and her mild- mannered husband (Howard Sprague) to drive after the McCoys in pursuit, which creates an interesting subplot. My favorite scene takes place at the dump. After hiding in a dumpster, they are thrown into a trash truck, then transported to the dump where's they're dumped out. The sight of big-deal movie stars covered in garbage is a hoot. "The Getaway" is filled with action, betrayal, and excitement. In one powerful sequence McQueen Violently destroys a police squad car with a pump action shotgun. The train scene is also an edge of your seat moment. The cast is filled with great character actors like Ben Johnson, Dub Taylor, and Slim Pickens. Pickens shines in a small role as a guy who gives the fugitive couple a truck ride into Mexico. Director Sam Peckinpah gets much of the credit for this male bonding classic. A tepid remake of "The Getaway" was made in 1994, with Alec Baldwin and Kim Bassinger, for no apparent reason. Sam Peckinpah films were not made for children or sensitive people, but people who love shoot-em up fast and furious action films. If you liked THE GETAWAY you may like "Lethal Weapon 2," "The Wild Bunch," "Aliens," and "Bullitt."