Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Ethan Hawke | ... | Brent Magna | |
Selena Gomez | ... | The Kid | |
Jon Voight | ... | The Voice | |
Rebecca Budig | ... | Leanne | |
Paul Freeman | ... | The Man | |
Bruce Payne | ... | Distinguished Man | |
![]() |
Ivaylo Geraskov | ... | Detective (as Ivailo Garaskov) |
Dimo Alexiev | ... | Henchman #1 | |
![]() |
Velislav Pavlov | ... | Henchman #2 (as Slavi Pavlov) |
![]() |
Dejan Angelov | ... | Henchman #3 (as Deyan Angelov) |
Kaloian Vodenicharov | ... | Head Valet | |
Danko Jordanov | ... | Car Driver | |
![]() |
Velizar Peev | ... | Valet Thug |
Peewee Piemonte | ... | Valet Thug | |
Esteban Cueto | ... | Valet Thug |
Former race car driver Brent Magna is pitted against the clock as he commandeers a custom Shelby Super Snake Mustang, taking it and its unwitting owner on a high-speed adventure at the command of a mysterious villain on a race against time to save the life of his kidnapped wife. Written by anonymous
I don't normally take the time to write reviews as I don't feel I have much to add to everyone else's take. But Getaway has been so poorly received, unjustifiably so in my opinion, that I thought I'd weigh in.
This is a popcorn movie. Nothing more. I understood that going in. It's not high art. It doesn't revolutionize movie-making, and is not even the high point of the genre. But it's entertaining, and that's all I ask of a movie. Give me some popcorn and a Coke, and dim the lights, let me forget about the world for a couple hours, and I'm happy.
The two leads are very good in my opinion. Ethan Hawke is a very capable actor, and he brought a depth to his character that I didn't expect. He expressed concern without being overly dramatic or gnashing his teeth or chewing up the scenery, and conveyed his character's limitations without appearing dumb. Selena Gomez was bright, and had the expected attitude of someone her character's age without being precocious or annoying.
Most of the plot was admittedly easy to figure out early on, but the movie still provided plenty of excitement in how it got there. There were some aspects of the story that were dismissed without explaining a lot of detail, but it didn't rely on otherwise smart people doing dumb things to make it all work, and I appreciated that as well.
I've read criticisms by others concerning the "shaky-cam" technique during the chase scenes. I didn't find that to be a problem in the least. It was much less annoying or even apparent than in movies like Transformers. I found everything was easy to follow and served the story well - I didn't think any style choices got in the way. And there was one street-level point of view sequence that I thought was especially well done - presumably a single take - that gave me a real rush.
Overall, I enjoyed Getaway, but that may be in part because I went in with low expectations due to its opening weekend box office and some negative reviews. With stiff competition this summer there are certainly better choices for your entertainment dollar. I don't know if I'd even consider this in the top ten or twenty films this year. But for cheap ticket at a matinée or second-run theater, or later as a rental it's an entertaining diversion.