Dethroning the King of Cool?

tomsview

When you remake one of Steve McQueen's best-known movies, comparisons are inevitable. Alec Baldwin is believable as the hardened criminal 'Doc' McCoy but where McQueen was able to suggest that there may be mitigating factors in the way his life turned out, Baldwin appears much harder, although he does show that there is at least honour among thieves. When all is said and done, this is a fairly straight remake, and the differences are all in the playing.

Doc McCoy, facing a long prison sentence, sends his wife Carol, played by Kim Basinger, to ask for help from a corrupt businessman, Jack Benyon, played by James Woods. In return, Doc agrees to pull a robbery for Benyon. However the payment Benyon asks of Carol McCoy is beyond what Doc had in mind. She pays the price and Doc is released. Doc does the robbery but from this point on a series of double crosses sees Doc and Carol on the run – pursued by other criminals, the law and tensions between themselves. It all comes to a head with a shootout in a hotel in Texas.

It is hard to believe that the McQueen version of "The Getaway" is over 40 years old, and that the King of Cool is now long gone. Of course, anyone familiar with the earlier version will know exactly what happens next although the sex scenes featuring Baldwin and Basinger register a few points higher on the Richter scale.

In the end, the success or otherwise of this version comes down to nuance and shades of meaning – the way Shakespeare's plays are open to a new interpretation, giving them relevance for each generation. Not that the script for "The Getaway" has much to do with Shakespeare, nor likely to be required reading for high school students in the future, but it does provide a suitable vehicle for Baldwin and Basinger.

Alec Baldwin will not replace the memory of Steve McQueen in this role, but Kim Basinger fares better when compared to Ali McGraw. Basinger projects a sultry presence; she is not a particularly animated actress, and the role of Carol McCoy seems tailor-made for her. It is only when she exchanges light dialogue with Richard Farnsworth's character near the end of the movie that you realise how heavy going the rest of the film is, exposing a fundamental problem – The McCoys are not fun people and it is hard for the audience to really like them.

The subplot involving McCoy's ex-partner, Rudy, and his encounter with the veterinarian and his wife is just as nasty in this version with Michael Madsen creating a truly repellent character.

Where this movie shines is in its production values and solid pacing; the action is exciting and the locations are interesting. Maybe thirty years from now, another group of filmmakers will feel the time is right for another interpretation of "The Getaway", but if they do, I think the King of Cool will still rule.

score 7/10

tomsview 1 March 2013

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2760968/