Truly Dreadful Film

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

It's a pretty decent movie as these things go. Baldwin is Doc McCoy, newly released from prison in order to commit a high-end robbery. Faced with cheating partners, he and his wife, Basinger, make off with a gym bag full of large notes and are pursued throughout the Southwest to the Mexican border, where they finally take off on their own. There is some conflict internal to the family because Basinger had to allow the head of the parole board, also the manager of the robbery, access to her succulent body, and Baldwin resents this, sometimes violently, for the first two thirds of the movie.Lots of action, more explicit sex and brutality, and competent performances, yet something is missing. The chief subtrahend is originality. It's a remake of Sam Pekinpah's film of the same name, with Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw, from the 1960s. Pekinpah's production was edgier, with unexpected incidents, and used some magnificent locations in west Texas. And the production design and set dressing were superior. Even so quotidian a setting as a garbage dump outside of El Paso reeks with atmosphere in Pekinpah's film. Here, it's just a garbage dump. The same can be said of the interior -- and the exterior, for that matter -- of the seedy hotel in which the final shoot out takes place.But it isn't so much these details that detract from one's enjoyment of the film, it's the realization that it was done -- and done better -- almost thirty years earlier by a director in whose veins the balance between booze and talent was proportionate. How much in the way of credit should accrue to writers, directors, and producers who simply imitate a successful earlier movie in an attempt to cash in on its popularity and on the loosening of moral strictures in Hollywood? The remake is not quite shot-for-shot but almost, and much of the dialog is identical.Generally speaking, the performances here aren't bad, even though Baldwin is groomed on his release from the slams like a Hollywood star and lacks McQueen's jailhouse haircut. Kim Basinger does a bit better in the role of prisoner's wife than Ali McGraw did, for that matter. McGraw, unfortunately for her, cute as she was in her darkly furry way, always sounded as if she'd just graduated from Wellesley, which at one time she had.And the direction is competent without adding much to the goings on. Slow motion is used where Pekinpah had used it. And, if you want an instructive scene, watch the trio of bad guy Michael Madsen, Jennifer Tilly, and the DVM James Stevens when Madsen and Tilly become playful and start throwing take-out food at one another -- fried chicken and french fries. Madsen, without provocation, becomes angry and orders Tilly back into the front seat. In Pekinpah's movie the take out is barbecued ribs with sticky tomato sauce and they're tossed back and forth with abandon. The bad guy remains in the back seat and, pelted about the face with a couple of hefty ribs, grows visibly more irritated until he ends the game in an outburst of pique. Both the players and the car's interior are coated with Texas barbecue sauce. There's hardly any comparison in the effectiveness of the two, almost identical, incidents. Pekinpah's is superior.None of this should stand as a condemnation of the remake itself. If it stands alone, it's suspenseful and diverting. The world is largely divided into good guys and bad. That usually makes for easily digested entertainment and this movie delivers the goods.

Way back when, pulp novelist genius Jim Thompson wrote "The Getaway." It was about a man and a woman who teamed up to rob. It has been filmed twice. About 12 people argue on IMDb about which is the better version. I am one of those arguing that the second version is better.The first version in 1972 was directed by Sam Peckinpah and had a stellar (at the time) cast including Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw. It was directed by Sam Peckinpah. Among the character actors were legends Al Letteiri, Ben Johnson, Sally Struthers and Slim Pickens.There is no doubt this is an outstanding movie.Here's the big difference -- Ali McGraw Vs. Kim Basinger. Kim B. blows Ali M. out of the water. Seriously, the whole contest rides on this and Kim so totally takes charge in the second movie there is no competition.I won't talk about the sex scene between Kim and Alec Baldwin, who is her husband. Why? They deserve their privacy. Even though we saw ... lots.Bottom line: This movie requires a tough broad. Ali McGraw? Fugeddabout it! No way. Kim, you relentless female tough woman, you rule here.Kim Basinger? This is a woman who does not look ridiculous handling a nine. But she's also vulnerable in the back of a garbage truck. Alec, you are one lucky guy.And, Richard Farnsworth has the role that Slim Pickens played in the original. Tough call. I say equal props.Bottom line? The remake has more ... coolness. 'Nuff said.

wow.lots of action,some brutal violence,even some black comedy thrown into the mix.oh,yeah,also some steamy love scenes and some double crosses.that pretty much describes "The Getaway".for me,all this is a good thing.at least,it works in this movie.there's a great cast,who all put in great performances.Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger play the two lead characters,with great supporting work from Micheal Madsen,James Woods,Jeniffer Tilly and Richard Farnsworth.if you like a action packed movie and don't mind brutal violence and nudity or foul language(there's a lot of that in here)you should enjoy this 1.as an added bonus,there are a couple of twists and,like i mentioned earlier,some black humour.myself,i really had a good time with this movie.i give "The Getaway" 9/10

Picture is a good remake of the Steve McQueen classic and has plenty of good action scenes, chases and double-crosses. Master thief Alec Baldwin and comely wife Kim Basinger are the main focus of the plot as they blast their way out of trouble in one scene after another. The two desperadoes spend most of the film on the run, resulting in the usual car chases and shoot-outs and serial-style close calls. Perhaps the film's high point is an exciting shoot-out in a hotel in a border town with a vengeful ex-partner. The movie is a rugged, macho film in which distrust is the watchword among the principals. James Woods is very good in an especially sinister role as a crime boss and Michael Madsen is also good as former pal who's out to even up an old score. Baldwin and Basinger somehow don't really click together here but do well enough to make the movie worth watching.