The Getaway (1994) from Johnny Web (Uncle Scoopy) and Tuna

The Getaway (1972) from Tuna

What a treasure we lost when Richard Farnsworth died, and what a shame that it took us so long to figure out what he could bring to a movie. Oh, I know that he finally got an Oscar nomination, and he probably would have won one if he could have lived a couple more years, but his career progress was a mite slow. What was he, an overnight sensation at age 90?

I can't think of many character actors who could change the entire tone of a movie just with a brief appearance. In this film he didn't even appear until the last ten minutes, but from that point on he just took over the screen and made it his movie. Cripe, he actually made the thing worth watching, and that wasn't easy, because it's a formula movie which is basically nothing but shoot-outs, sex, and car chases. But after watching him for a couple minutes, I actually smiled a couple of times!

Pre-Farnsworth, it's standard escapist fare from the big book of movie clichés.

Baldwin plays the best crook in the world, gets set up on a deal, goes to jail. Basinger plays his wife, and she works a deal to get Baldwin out. The deal mostly consists of blowing some powerful guy, played by James Woods with his usual serpentine smarm. The condition for Baldwin's release, in addition to the obligatory ongoing blowjobs, is that Baldwin must pull off a job for Woods. Woods, of course, intends to double cross everyone, because that's what Woods always does in every movie. If you play his mom in a film, chances are pretty good he'll bilk you out of your Social Security. Also, one of Baldwin's gang was planning to double cross both Woods and Baldwin (I think). Anyway, Baldwin triple crosses the guy who intended to double cross him, Basinger shoots Woods, and they set off to El Paso, and thence to freedom in Mexico.

An official film convention dictates that once across that Mexican border, any criminal may proceed directly to a life of complete luxury, free from any further investigation.

When the police finally did arrive and surrounded the building, Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin used a super top secret plan - they snuck out the back door.

These particular police didn't really seem to understand the concept of "surrounding" a building. 

After they left the hotel, Baldwin and Basinger had the good sense to leave town by hijacking Richard Farnsworth, and then that old geezer just did his thing. He charmed and cajoled the border patrol, and he just won the confidence of the crooks, and it was all completely believable. When that guy is up there on the screen, you just wish your own dad could be so wise, so compassionate, so understanding of human nature, so down to earth. Farnsworth really had a special quality.

Positives: (1) I really liked both Farnsworth and Philip Seymour Hoffman in small roles. (2)  Basinger and Tilly take off their clothes.

Negatives: everything else

Reviewing the re-make of The Getaway is where I prove yet again that I have no taste. I have always enjoyed this semi-comedic crime thriller. Basinger won a razzie for worst actress, Ebert hated it at 1 star, and it scores 0% at Rotten Tomatoes from the top critics. I think it is more a matter of how you see the film. As a crime thriller, it is laughable. Then again, as a comedy, it is laughable, but that is a good thing.

Basically, Alec Baldwin is a master thief and all around tough guy, and Basinger is his main squeeze. He is double crossed by Michael Madsen and ends up in a Mexican jail. Basinger uses all her assets to "talk" a crime bigwig into using his influence to get him out. The condition is that Baldwin will work for him, and his partner is, you guessed it, Madsen. After the big robbery of a dog track, Baldwin and Basinger have the money, most of the gang are dead, and a wounded Madsen is out for blood. All are trying to get out of the country. Madsen kidnaps a veterinarian and his wife (Jennifer Tilly) to help him get there.

The Getaway (1972) is the original version of the film by the same title. Replace Jennifer Tilly with Sally Struthers, Kim Basinger with Ali MacGraw, and Alec Baldwin with Steve McQueen, and you pretty much have the idea. Were you to storyboard the two versions side by side, there would be far more agreement than change. The changes favor the 1994 version.

• In the original, McQueen gets a Texas parole board to reverse a decision because his wife screws a powerful local crook, and promises that McQueen will rob a bank for him. In the newer version, Baldwin is in jail in Mexico, and Basinger convinces a crime guy to use his influence to spring him for a huge race track heist. The new version just makes more sense.
• In the original, some expositional scenes were very slow and deliberate so that the audience wouldn't get lost. The same listless scenes were shortened in the new version
• The sex and nudity scenes were greatly expanded in the re-make.
• McQueen's character had no personality in the 1972 version, giving one of my favorite actors nothing to work with in developing a character.
• MacGraw's 1972 lines were full of dated slang, which sound very dated indeed.
• The supporting characters were far more colorful in the 1994 version.

All that being said, I can't understand why the original is rated 7.3 of 10 at IMDb, while the remake is at 5.5. Of course, I saw the newer version first, so I knew the story too well for anything in the McQueen version to surprise me.