I have to admit, "The Getaway" caught me off guard. I was expecting something along the lines of "Bullitt" and "The Thomas Crown Affair", both super-stylish crime flicks that ooze with McQueen's trademark coolness. However, "The Getaway" ïs not stylish at all; it is trashy entertainment, with more than a hint of the Blaxpoitation movies of the same era. There's porn star moustaches, girls getting slapped, waves of tomato blood and McQueen getting nearly killed in the dumpster. And then we have beautiful Ali MacGraw, incomparable to any contemporary actress, stealing a page from Pam Grier and playing McQueen to a draw.
Far from classic or brilliant, yet thoroughly entertaining and a blueprint for many films to follow.
Far from classic or brilliant, yet thoroughly entertaining and a blueprint for many films to follow.