The Getaway (1972 film)

For other uses, see The Getaway.
The Getaway
Two documents, which include photos of a man and a woman, are placed beneath a handgun and half-dozen bullets.
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySam Peckinpah
Screenplay byWalter Hill
Based onThe Getaway
1958 novel
by Jim Thompson
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyLucien Ballard
Edited byRobert L. Wolfe
Music byQuincy Jones
Production
companies
Distributed byNational General Pictures[1]
Release dates
  • December 13, 1972 (1972-12-13)
  • December 19, 1972 (1972-12-19) (Los Angeles[1])
Running time
122 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3.3 million[2][3]
Box office$36.7 million (US)[4]

The Getaway is a 1972 American action thriller film based on the 1958 novel by Jim Thompson. The film was directed by Sam Peckinpah, written by Walter Hill, and stars Steve McQueen, Ali MacGraw, Ben Johnson, Al Lettieri, and Sally Struthers. The plot follows imprisoned mastermind robber Carter "Doc" McCoy, whose wife Carol conspires for his release on the condition they rob a bank in Texas. A double-cross follows the crime, and the McCoys are forced to flee for Mexico with the police and criminals in hot pursuit.

Peter Bogdanovich, whose The Last Picture Show impressed McQueen and producer David Foster, was originally hired as the director of The Getaway. Thompson came on board to write the screenplay, but creative differences ensued between him and McQueen, and Thompson was subsequently fired, along with Bogdanovich. Writing and directing duties eventually went to Hill and Peckinpah, respectively. Principal photography commenced February 7, 1972, on location in Texas. The film reunited McQueen and Peckinpah, who had worked together on the relatively unprofitable Junior Bonner, released the same year.

The Getaway premiered December 13, 1972.[citation needed] Despite the negative reviews it received upon release, numerous retrospective critics give the film good reviews. A box-office hit earning over $36 million, it was the eighth highest-grossing film of 1972, and one of the most financially successful productions of Peckinpah's and McQueen's careers. A film remake of the same name starring Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger was released in 1994.

  1. ^ a b c d e The Getaway at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  2. ^ Eliot 2011, p. 222.
  3. ^ Weddle 1994, p. 310.
  4. ^ "The Getaway (1972)". The Numbers. Archived from the original on June 15, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2012.