Charley Varrick (1973)

A man, his wife, and their friend, stage a bloody bank robbery, unaware they are stealing money from the Mob.

Director:

Don Siegel

Writers:

John Reese (novel), Howard Rodman (screenplay),

Stars:

Walter Matthau, Joe Don Baker, Felicia Farr

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

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

Storyline

Charley Varrick and his friends rob a small town bank. Expecting a small sum to divide amongst themselves, they are surprised to discover a very LARGE amount of money. Quickly figuring out that the money belongs to the MOB, they must now come up with a plan to throw the MOB off their trail.

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Plot Keywords:

bank | small town | bank heist | cop killer | car crash | 

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Taglines:

He stole from the Mob, now he's running for his life.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1973 (UK)

Also Known As:

Charley Varrick: The Last of the Independents

Filming Locations:

Arlington Towers - 100 N. Arlington Avenue, Reno, Nevada, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The last film of veteran character actor Tom Tully.

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Goofs

When Varrick steals Nadine's dentist file, he has very long sideburns. In the rest of the film his sideburns are quite short.

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Quotes

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.

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Connections

Referenced in Pulp Fiction (1994)

User Reviews

It doesn't get any better than this.

Now that more and more people are reflecting on the great career of Walter Matthau it is surprising that very few critics have mentioned his top-notch performance in Charley Varrick (the best thing he has ever done). I got interested in this film when I discovered that it had an underground following with everyone from "The Pretenders" to several critics. I bought the film and became floored by how outstanding of a movie this is. In my opinion it is the most under appreciated movie ever made and the best movie to come out of the 70's (yes, even better than THE GODFATHER, DAYS OF HEAVEN, TAXI DRIVER and APOCALYPSE NOW). It is also one of the ten best movies I have ever seen. I have seen this movie over 20 times and it gets better every time I see it. It is surprising that I have learned more about how to make a great suspense/action film from this movie than any other which I have seen. The interesting thing about Charley Varrick is that you wonder why you are so taken in by the story. It's a relatively simple one. Yet, this is a story with a conclusion that leaves you stunned every time you see it and convinces you that this is a film that should be seen again and again (unlike some great movies that should be seen only once). I make it an effort to see Charley Varrick on a regular basis. The story starts out as follows: a group of bank robbers attempt to make a small killing and right when they think that they have succeeded . . . The story then allows the viewer to be consumed in a film of drum-tight professionalism with great action sequences, excellent performances, incredible dialogue, and possibly the greatest single screen villain of all time in the form of Joe Don Baker (I wouldn't have believed it until I saw it). I am convinced that in the near future Charley Varrick will be resurrected in the form of a remake (not that I am looking toward that day). But in context, Don Siegel's masterpiece is a film that stands by itself as one of the great under appreciated and undervalued movies of all time and is a film for everyone. It doesn't get any better than this.