The Getaway (1994)

An ex-con and his devoted wife must flee from danger when a heist doesn't go as planned.

Director:

Roger Donaldson

Writers:

Jim Thompson (novel), Walter Hill (screenplay)

Stars:

Alec Baldwin, Kim Basinger, Michael Madsen

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alec Baldwin	...	Carter 'Doc' McCoy
Kim Basinger	...	Carol McCoy
Michael Madsen	...	Rudy Travis
James Woods	...	Jack Benyon
David Morse	...	Jim Deer Jackson
Jennifer Tilly	...	Fran Carvey
James Stephens	...	Harold Carvey, DVM
Richard Farnsworth	...	Slim
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Frank Hansen (as Philip Hoffman)
Burton Gilliam	...	Gollie
Royce D. Applegate	...	Gun Shop Salesman
Daniel Villarreal	...	Luis Mendoza
Scott McKenna	...	Red Shirt
Alex Colon	...	Ramon
Justin Williams	...	Soldier

Storyline

Doc McCoy is put in prison because his partners chickened out and flew off without him after exchanging a prisoner with a lot of money. Doc knows Jack Benyon, a rich "business"-man, is up to something big, so he tells his wife (Carol McCoy) to tell him that he's for sale if Benyon can get him out of prison. Benyon pulls some strings and Doc McCoy is released again. Unfortunately he has to cooperate with the same person that got him to prison.

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Plot Keywords:

manhunt | fugitive | neo noir | one last job | suicide by hanging | 

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Taglines:

A dangerous deal. A double cross. And the ultimate set up is yet to come.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, sexuality and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film cast includes two Oscar winners: Kim Basinger and Philip Seymour Hoffman; and four Oscar nominees: James Woods, Alec Baldwin, Jennifer Tilly and Richard Farnsworth.

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Goofs

The last time Doc fires the shotgun from the taxi it switches from his right to left to right hand.

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Quotes

[In the motel room, Fran and Rudy are having sex. Fran is moaning in pleasure as Harold, tied up in a chair, drags himself to the opened door to find Fran cheating on him as they're performing the woman-on-top position]
Harold Carvey, DVM: [screams] Hey! HEY!
Fran Carvey: [laughs] It's Harold!
[Fran and Rudy laugh as they cover themselves]
Rudy Travis: Harold, get back in there, ya pervert.
[Rudy shuts the bathroom door on him; Harold screams and groans in anger and agony]

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Alternate Versions

US theatrical version trimmed sex scenes between Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger to get a R-rating. The European release and US unrated videocassette are uncut.

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Connections

References Star Trek: The Original Series (1966)

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Soundtracks

Carmelita
Written by David White

User Reviews

In the end The Getaway is an OK action movie.

The Getaway is a remake of the action classic that stared Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw. Now I haven't seen the original so I can't compare the two but by it self this is an OK action thriller. It goes old school with its desert/western setting, bad criminals and finale stand off. When I watched this movie I had no idea what kind of movie it is. The story is simple Doc McCoy (Alec Baldwin), his wife (Kim Basinger) and his partner (Michael Madsen) are hired to get a man out of prison. When the job goes sour, McCoy is locked up for a year in a Mexican prison. With the help of his wife and a Phoenix crime boss Jack Benyon (James Woods), he released and hired to do one more job. This job goes semi good but after it has been done many people end up dead and the McCoys are on the run from many different people all with their eyes on the large amount of cash they have. The performances are OK. Basinger is tough yet still has that soft side and she very good with guns. Madsen is a good mix with Baldwin and Basinger, he add the funny but villainous third part of the gang. The cast is bigger than normal for an action film but since this was made in the early ‘90's some of the actors hadn't hit it big yet. Jennifer Tilly, Phillip Seymore Hoffman and David Morse round out the cast. They all have small parts but they do the best with what they have. The action is not really original and there are a few Woo slow-motion shots thrown in for good measure. There's only one explosion but a lot of guns. The protagonists aren't very likeable, though. In fact, no one in this film is, with the possible exception of Richard Farnsworth's character at the end. Jennifer Tilly threw herself into her role, and both Michael Madsen and James Woods, do their usual creepily evil personas with aplomb.

THE GETAWAY works because the chemistry of sex and violence between the characters played by BALDWIN and BASINGER works. It's not cheesy or contrived. This film is a tale of moral love betrayal and the classic analogy of there being no honor among thieves. The remake follows pretty much the same plot as the STEVE MCQUEEN classic yet takes a few different turns. Fans of the original will like this version as well, one nice aspect is that it maintains a similar look to the original. This film matches the tone of the original and succeeds as a modren film for contemporary audiences.

A major problem with The Getaway is the way the McCoys are seemingly able to sense danger when there is not even the slightest indication of it. Carter, for example, has the incredible ability enabling him to know a gunman is just outside his door as soon as he finishes another bedroom scene with his wife! This serves as an example of how unimaginative things get. the infamous sex scenes are really undeserving of the attention. They are gratuitous in the extreme as they don't serve the story whatsoever. You can't believe the characters like each other that much, having spent most of their time in bitter argument. Believe me, you won't like these characters either.

Details

Country:

USA Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 February 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Getaway

Filming Locations:

Flagstaff, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,806,515, 13 February 1994

Gross USA:

$16,094,974

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$30,057,974

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Largo Entertainment, JVC Entertainment Networks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min 116 min (uncut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1