Film

The Getaway

Name: The Getaway
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Released: 1972
Cast: Steve McQueen, Ali MacGraw, Ben Johnson, Sally Struthers, Al Lettieri

Other titles called The Getaway: the 2013 series (Esquire Network).

A recently released con and his wife become fugitives after a bank robbery spirals into violence. Taut, propulsive, and built on the raw chemistry between Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw, it's a getaway film that never stops moving. For anyone who loves crime thrillers that prioritize momentum and star power over exposition.

TMDb rating

3.6

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like crime pictures where the pleasure lies in watching a tough professional move through a plan with cool, unshowy competence, and a gritty 1970s road-movie feel suits you.

Skip it if you want a warm, character-led love story, since the marriage here is more loyalty than tenderness and the violence lands with real bluntness.

What it asks of you: Roughly two hours, with long stretches of quiet menace before a sudden burst of gunfire; it rewards patience and doesn't hurry to explain itself.

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If you liked this

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But Nearly two and a half hours, and the pacing can feel episodic. Some of the survival sequences get deliberately harsh.

The Italian Job1969

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Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Getaway

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

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But Made for television, and it shows; the budget is minimal and the threat is abstract rather than grounded in crime.

Point Blank1967

Lee Marvin as a man bent on revenge, shot in a hypnotic, deliberately fragmented style. It's a heist and revenge film that works on visual language as much as plot.

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Robert Mitchum as a weary small-time crook facing prison, living in the cracks between law and survival. Unglamorous, deeply human, and genuinely sad about how this life ends.

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Charley Varrick1973

Walter Matthau as a small-time crook who steals from the mob and has to outthink everyone chasing him. Sharp, funny, and full of genuine ingenuity—a heist film about brains over brawn.

But Older viewers may expect gravitas from Matthau; the film's wit and lightness might feel slight to them.

Thief1981

James Caan as a jewel thief trying to go straight, trapped between his skill and the criminal world. Michael Mann's neon-soaked direction makes every scene feel dangerous and beautiful.

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Baby Driver2017

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But The hipster energy and pop soundtrack aren't for everyone. Some find the style overwhelming.

Heat1995

Michael Mann's sprawling crime epic about a thief, a cop, and the eternal game between them. Methodical, ambitious, with dialogue and action sequences that feel like arguments.

But Three hours long, and the emotional weight requires patience. The domestic subplot can feel slow if you're here just for heists.

In Order of Disappearance2014

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Vanishing Point1971

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But The plot is minimal and deliberately so. Some will find it too abstract, too much style and not enough story.