Customer Reviews

Getaway [VHS]

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

The Baldwin/Basinger remake of ' The Getaway ' is a well put together, well acted, entertaining movie. This was not well received upon release, and I can't see why. Baldwin smolders on screen, and his real life chemistry with Basinger ( well, until they divorced ) carries over to the movie. The relationship of their married characters is passionate, and volatile. An excellent scene is when Doc, who can't control his anger any longer after finding out that Carol had slept with bad-guy Benyon ( James Woods ) in a deal for Doc's prison release, stops their car on the side of the road, and they have an intense argument. Great scene. Not to be overlooked is the performance of Michael Madsen as Rudy. He could be Vic Vega's ( from Reservoir Dogs ) dopier cousin. He is a bad guy, yet his scenes with Jennifer Tilly are at times very funny..you'll laugh at what a jerk he can be. The movie has some good action and drama in it, especially the scene when Doc, at the train depot, chases down the small-time thief who has made off with Doc and Carol's bag full of stolen cash. The finale is an excellent shoot-out at a seedy old hotel in El Paso, and it definitely does not disappoint. Much action and tension. The final scene includes the late Richard Farnsworth, and it is touching to see now that he is no longer alive. An excellent Richard Marx song ' Now and Forever ' runs over the end credits, and it works perfectly. Very nice. This is a movie I've seen many times, and always enjoyed. It's executed well, with nice cinematography. Don't believe some of the bad reviews, and judge for yourself. I believe the 1994 version of ' The Getaway ' is an overlooked little gem.

Both Getaway movies have the same screenplay writen by Walter Hill, both have the slow-mo action and basically they are the same, BUT here are the differences:

Getaway 1972:

* Steve McQueen is WAY COOLER than Alec Bladwin.
* Rudy and his girl are more evil here.
* The car chase scene is at midnight.
* There is no STUPID dog race scene, only a bank robbery scene.
* The characters here are more quiet.
* The first getaway scene is COOLER and EXPLOSIVE!
* The train scene here is a CLASSIC.
* The slap scene is more intense here.
* The jail scenes here are longer.

Getaway 1994:
* There are more emotional scenes in this one.
* Kim Basinger's character is tougher and hotter!
* There are MORE celebrities here than in the original.
* The car chase scene was longer.
* There are sex scenes in this one.
* There is more blood and foul language here than in the original.
* They added one made-up action scene in the begining.
* There is a one to one fight between Rudy and Doc.

In my opinion the Getaway 1972 is better because SteveMcQueen is SOO COOL! you can watch the 1994 remake if you want to but that one is more like a normal action movie than a CLASSIC action movie.

Adios.

I've never seen the original version of this film, so I have nothing to compare it to. Most of the reviews here are pretty good, but the reviewers weren't kind when it first came out in 1994. I thought the acting by Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin was very good in this. Michael Madsen usually plays these same kind of characters all of the time, but he was actually enjoyable here. I loved that Kim's character more than held her own here and got very violent like everybody else. I can't stand when female characters always have to be saved in action films. The camerawork & pacing is excellent in this film also. My main problem with this film is the story itself. It starts out pretty good for like the first 45 minutes, then starts to get kinda silly once Jennifer Tilly's character shows up. I kept asking myself why would some of the characters do something so dumb thoughtout the movie. I also was able to predict almost everything that happened. That was probably because they had alot of actors who always play bad guys like: James Wood, Michael Madsen, David Morse, and even Alec himself. Note to directors out there, "quit hiring the same actors to play your bad guys all of the time, its starting to get annoying." I just never bought that the guy, who Jennifer's character was married to, ever had a chance of ever getting her. And I know women like bad guys, but I just never bought that she could easily watch Michaels character abuse her husband of 2 years like she did. The action in this film is pretty good I must admit though. Forget about the plot, watch this film for the action and the performances by Kim, Alec, and Michael. Kim's sensual scenes with Alec will have you pausing and hitting the review button alot. It must have been very cold the day they were shooting them, thats all I'll say on it.

Ive seen this remake 2 or three times, same number of times as original, the original is no dispute a great McQueen crime action adventure, but yes, this remake I feel with the noir fence-wash rinse is a great night in, why do professional critics like Maltin seem to have it up with Attack of the Killer Tomatoes??

the action is great,start to finish, all three main characters make a fair fist of stepping into McQueen, McGraw and Al Lettieri's shoes, Bassingers character as the Amazon ed points out is a lot more hands on than McGraw, shes much more of a true Bonnie and Clyde gangsters moll instead of mcGraws passive passenger "I'll just maybe dosome of the driving , you'll have to shoot everybody yourself " approach.
Which is kinduv cool, frankly.

She knows better than to have a go when Doc slaps her around in one scene, which may be more about she feels actual guilt for what she has done ( for him, mind you) rather than she hasnt got the stones to try to defend herself.
Certainly she has no problem later first blowing David Morse's kneecap out with a .45, and then blowing the rest of him away after it. YaY girlpower, huh?
She is in the thick of the gunbattle.

the final rootin-tootin confrontation at the hotel is a screamer, as was the original, Baldwins face when he thinks Madsen has won and will kill him is about right underplayed.
Some criticise the scenes with Meg Tilly and her unfortunate veterinarian husband and his fate, ok, the show is of course one for after the kids are in bed. I dont personally find it gratuitous, is an eye-opener and more Noir, sure.

My sole disappointment was the writing out of the confrontation between McQueen and two Texas rangers outside a hamburger shop in the original , where McQueen hastily goes next door and arms himself by robbing a gunstore , then bails these cops up, disarms them without having to harm them, and shoots up their patrol car, before blowing town.
The Baldwin movie has no mention of this memorable scene.


Original was a tough act to follow, sure, but this stands alone well, is a good night in is totally above average popcorn entertainment, I like it, recommended if you can take a kind of commercial/Noir split which I think works.

Somewhat like the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair this is again much better than the original, and I love McQeen.

Baldwin is great, Kim Bassinger is very believable and Madsen superb as the bad guy. James Woods is wonderful too.

Great direction by Roger Donaldson, the locations are well thought out and easy on the eyes too.

All in all a splendid update of the orgiginal, which wasn't bad but this is one remake that is well worth owning. Great film.

Mark Laing

Boy. You have to be a sucker for pain or completely devoid of original ideas to want to re-make a Sam Peckinpah film. "The Getaway" was not one of his best films ("Wild Bunch", "Ride the High County", "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid") but it was clearly up there in his top 5, and a top 5 film from Peckinpah is still better than 99+% of any film ever made. If you have to re-make a Peckinpah film why not choose some of his failed attempts, like "Straw Dogs" or "Killer Elite" or "The Osterman Weekend". But why pick one of his best?

That's the central problem in evaluating this film. Scene by scene I can't help but compare it to the original, and the original was so good, the re-make has to suffer. Alex Baldwin, for example, is a very good actor and he does a very good job in this film, but he isn't Steve McQueen, is he? And James Woods is a great actor, but he hardly fills the shoes of Ben Johnson in this case. It's like that right up and down the line with only a few exceptions - Ali McGraw was the weak point in the original and Kim Bassinger does a much better job, and Michael Madsen does a better job than Al Lettieri, even though Lettieri was surprisingly good in the original.

Of course, the central comparison is between Peckinpah and Roger Donaldson. Roger Donaldson you ask. Who the heck is he? Donaldson is an Australian born New Zealander who is best known for directing the Mel Gibson/Anthony Hopkins version of "The Bounty" (1984). So apparently Donaldson IS a sucker for pain, trying to remake the classic Clark Gable/Charles Laughton "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1935) and now taking on Peckinpah.

Donaldson is not without talent. His work on films like "Species" (1995), "No Way Out" (1987), and "The Bank Job" (2008) is very good, and some of his lesser films are not bad either - "Cadillac Man" (1990), "Thirteen Days" (2000). But...

I know a film should stand on its own and not have to be compared to the original, but it's virtually impossible to do that. Moreover, when it comes to a suspense thriller, the idea of making a re-make is pretty stupid. Can you really remake "Psycho"? Who thought "High Noon" could be improved upon?

Some films can be remade and the difference between the original and the remake is minimal. Both versions of "Cape Fear" (1962 vs. 1991) were compelling. Both most times the original is a clear favorite. Sometimes the producers think that if they take a special effects film and re-make it, the improvement in special effects will turn the remake into a better film. Good idea, but usually wrong. Here's some remade sci fi films where the special effects were turned up but the original story still remained the better one - "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951 vs. 2008), "King Kong" (1933 vs. 1976 vs. 2005), "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1956 vs. 1978).

Remaking a film is great when you add a twist to it. The "Seven Samurai" (1954) was great as was "The Magnificent Seven" (1960), because they remade it in a different setting/time/place. Ditto for "Yojimbo" (1961) which became "A Fistfull of Dollars" (1964). "Four Brothers" (2005) updated "The Sons of Katie Elder" (1965).

One of the key plot points in "The Getaway" is whether or not they get away. Once you've seen the original, you know. So the suspense is taken away, or at best, substantially reduced. Well, in a suspense drama, what more do you have than the suspense? Reduce that, and you damn well better have some terrific acting, some revolutionary photography, or something to fill the void.

"Getaway" was one of Peckinpah's most successful films, earning $35 million in 1972 dollars. The 1994 remake made $30 million. On a budget of $16 million that made it a successful film, but much less successful than the original.

OK. Viewers of the original will be disappointed! But what if you never saw the original - is this a good film. Yes it is. You could do a lot worse. But if you want to view only one version of this film, view the original.

Early in this 1994 remake of the 1972 movie "The Getaway" Alec Baldwin (Doc McCoy) tells Kim Bassinger (Carol McCoy) that is she isn't happy with being the wife of a robber that she should have married a dentist. But she didn't and she adapts quite nicely to being a gun moll. She is as good a shot as her husband.

Of course this remake based on Jim Thompson's novel invites comparison with the 1972 Steve McQueen version. Alec Baldwin is certainly no Steve McQueen so he is just a different Doc but in all most every way as effective as McQueen in the original. He is much more emotional with an anger burning just under the surface that erupts often, unlike the taciturn McQueen. Bassinger is even better as his wife Carol and is a much more talented, expansive actress than MacGraw. No cringing vine is she as she gives as good as she gets. James Woods plays the Jack Benyon role here and Philip Seymour Hoffman, before the world knew who he was, is one of the henchmen who works with McCoy on the robbery. In this instance the robbers hit a safe at a dog racetrack rather than a bank. But except for that change and a few minor others, this version sticks closely to the original. One obvious reason is that Walter Hill wrote the screenplay for both movies.

Married in real life, Bassinger and Baldwin burn up the screen in their bedroom scenes. And for those keeping score, there is a lot of Ms. Bassinger to see. My problem with the movie is that I saw it on the heels of watching the McQueen version so there was little if any suspense for me. This of course is no fault of anyone connected with the Bassinger-Baldwin film.

While "The Getaway" has been widely perceived as a flop of a remake, I've always considered this movie to be one of the better and more intriguing actions flicks of the 90's. The action in this movie is pretty much non stop and only slows down for some intriguing, if not gratuitous, love scenes between the film's two main stars, Alec Baldwin and the ever beautiful Kim Basinger. The film is further enhanced with well played out performances by Michael Madsen, Jennifer Tilly, James Woods and several other bit players.

Although this film was a remake and "generally" followed along the same lines as the original movie, one can definitely say that director Roger Donaldson made this movie his own. Given other film credits such as "No Way Out" and "The Bounty," I'd definitely put this film amongst his best list. The score for the film plays into the film rather seamlessly.

The Premise:

Master criminal Doc McCoy (Alec Baldwin) and his wife, Carol (Kim Basinger) find themselves in the position of having to do "one" last job after Carol negotiates Doc's way out of a Mexican prison. What follows is no less than an exceptional action flick with all the usual tricks; gun battles, betrayal, car chases and a memorable performance by Jennifer Tilly playing a sexy twit.

Overall, this film delivers both drama and action quite well and it effortlessly pushes from scene to scene leading up to an excellent finale. I would highly recommend this film to any and all. {ssintrepid}

Special Features:
None

A good, solid, sexy, suspense thriller - all the cliches. James Stephens and David Morrison (St. Elsewhere) were also in it, but I couldn't find his name in the credits. I was pulled in and enjoyed it. From a Jim Thompson novel which I understand had a much bleaker ending.

Not stop thills in this version of The Getaway. Alec & Kim deliver a sexy & explosive action film. This film proved Kim Basinger could act. After watching this I hired the orginal Getaway. Lower production standards mar this version. Ali Mac Graw proves she couldn't act (not that anyone thought she could in the first place!) Not as good as everyone says it is. Go for the remake!!