Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Simply A Masterpiece

Beautiful, moving film.

Absolutely brilliant

The raves for this--both the movie and Matthau--are overblown, the pans as well. Yes, it's slow, but it is kind of mesmerizing. The issue I have with it is the lack of moral center: it's hard for me to root for a guy whose bank heist resulted in unnecessary death; a guy who was utterly unemotional at his wife also getting killed in said heist and then burning her body. This is a problem I find in mid-1970s thrillers: no moral center. Like Day of the Jackal: are we supposed to root for the creep trying to kill de Gaulle? Hey! I'm no fan of de Gaulle, but still . . . Or The Eagle Has Landed: are we supposed to root for the assassination of Churchill? and not care if the poor body double gets killed? It's not like these movies are explorations of an amoral antihero (like say Purple Noon). These movies themselves are amoral. But dig that original poster! Like from Mad Magazine in its prime! Mort Drucker! Maybe it really is Mort!

In a way, I see why this might have been the case. That information comes from one of the other reviewers. It's helpful, unlike those reviews that tell us the cast list and regurgitate the plot. This is an excellent, memorable film. The cast list is very similar to Siegel's previous effort, Dirty Harry, but this is a much, much better movie. He's replaced Eastwood with Matthau. I suppose Clint didn't want to be featured as dodgy. Maybe Matthau didn't either, but he certainly makes this film. It's tremendously entertaining, witty and surprising. Novel characters: Joe Don Baker as a supremely sadistic ultra-racist. I can't visualize him in a contemporary narrative. I can't see any reason for calling this film slow-paced. There's never the slightest clue where it's heading, so the viewer is kept alert throughout, right up to the logical, well-planned, dramatic climax. Great film ! Worth multiple repeat viewing.

I saw Charley Varrick for the first time around 1975, and really liked Matthau's performance against type. I tend to think of him as a comedy actor but he, in Charley Varrick, plays a thief with a past, and comes across very credibly. The cast is sound, photography typically unassuming 1970s, strong screen play, and highly believable action with effective stunts. One of those flicks that I like getting out of my VHS/DVD collection every second or third year for a re-visit. It is that good!

The title didn't/doesn't have much oomph to it, but this is a great 70's no-comedy crime thriller with the title character deftly played by Walter Matthau. In this film, robbers discover after cleaning out a small town bank's vault that the amount of money they've stolen is way above the expected take and must have mob ties. Andy Robinson (the psycho in Dirty Harry) plays Varrick's naive partner; Joe Don Baker (Walking Tall) is the hit man the mob recruits to get back the money. In smaller roles, John Vernon is a nervous mobster responsible for having picked that particular bank as a mob drop, Felicia Farr and Sheree North (both looking good, both smooth and smart), veteran character actor Tom Tully and Jacqueline Scott (sister of TV's Fugitive) are all superb. Director Don Siegel keeps the story nicely paced and Matthau's dry, thoughtful gum-chewing Varrick trying to stay alive, keeping a step ahead of the mob is really superb. Also pay attention to his small talk...it matters as the story develops.