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Charley Varrick
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Charley Varrick (1973) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.5/10   2,999 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 3% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Don Siegel
Writers:
John Reese (novel)
Howard Rodman (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Charley Varrick on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
19 September 1973 (Sweden) more
Genre:
Crime | Thriller | Drama more
Tagline:
He stole from the Mob, now he's running for his life. more
Plot:
Charley Varrick and his friends rob a small town bank. Expecting a small sum to divide amongst themselves... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 nomination more
User Comments:
Are we really seeing what's going on or is Don Siegel throwing dust in our eyes? more

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
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Kill Charley Varrick (Europe: English title)
The Last of the Independents (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
111 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Filming Locations:
Mustang, Nevada, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Charley's old mobile home was located near the home of well known Nevada artist Afton Frederick, who allowed the use of her home for some exterior shots. Her husband Cliff Frederick helped the crew with the night security of the old Varrick mobile home, because the roof of Varrick's home was fully removed for the ease of the camera and lighting work inside. The weather was extremely warm during the filming, which lasted seven weeks in the Dayton, Carson City, and Genoa, Nevada area. more
Goofs:
Continuity: In an exterior shot, Molly is seen entering a Chinese restaurant from across the street. But in the reverse shot of him entering restaurant, there's suddenly a red panel behind him, blocking the view of whatever was across the street. more
Quotes:
Maynard Boyle: It's our mafia friends who won't understand. They're gonna wonder why you led them straight to the vault with the money in it, instead of the empty vault in the rear. And frankly, Harold, why did you do that?
Harold Young: Do you know what would have happened if I'd taken those people to an empty vault?
Maynard Boyle: Number one, the money would have been saved, number two there'd be no question of an inside job.
Harold Young: Inside job?
Maynard Boyle: That's the way their diseased minds work. A bank gets it, bang, they look for a double-cross.
Harold Young: Why couldn't it be just a coincidence?
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Pulp Fiction (1994) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
33 out of 42 people found the following comment useful:-
Are we really seeing what's going on or is Don Siegel throwing dust in our eyes?, 8 August 2001
Author: Geofbob from London, England

This quick-moving thriller demonstrates that cinematic amorality has been around a long time. Made in 1973, it allows crop-duster and bank-robber, Charley Varrick, played by Walter Matthau, to get away with a heap of stolen money, the theft of which has led to the death of about half a dozen people, including his wife. The movie is directed, in his usual snappy but artful way, by Don Siegel, who taught Clint Eastwood everything Clint knows about direction, but not necessarily everything Don knew.

The movie also demonstrates that in the days when movies spent less time on technical wizardry, they could spend more on character development. For example, on "Molly" (Joe Don Baker), a courteous but sadistic heavy from the deep South, who can beat a man to death without losing his cool or creasing his sharp suit. Other noteworthy character studies are Andy Robinson as Charley's sweaty, weasly accomplice; Sheree North as a two-timing photographer; John Vernon as Maynard Boyle, a suave but crooked bank owner; and Marjorie Bennett as a nosey trailer park resident.

The plotline is supposed to be that Charley expects to get only a modest sum from the bank heist, and then has to get his thinking cap and skates on when he realises he's taken a pile of Mafia loot. But Siegel teases us, and it's never very clear just how much Charley knows and how far ahead he's thinking; perhaps there was an insider and Charley knew about the big money before the raid. Overall, can we believe what we're seeing, or is Siegel playing with us, like Bryan Singer in The Usual Suspects?

Which leads to the third thing demonstrated by this and other Siegel movies - that current hotshots like Quintin Tarantino owe him a debt.

(Incidentally, those IMDb commenters who are offended by Charley bedding Boyle's secretary (Felicia Farr) because she is too young for him should check Ms Farr's DOB. Also, she was married to Jack Lemmon, Matthau's friend and film-partner, so the bedroom scene is something of an in-joke.)

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Charley Varrick (1973)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Were the Coen Brothers Inspired by Siegel? geoffmss
What a Great Movie, from out of the blue hokeydoodle
Is the DVD really pan and scan or widescreen? mr-norman-bates
What Song is Molly Singing in the Car? bubbazanetti
filming in Nevada gooddogzeus
Bunny Ranch rfjenkins-1
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