Charley Varrick (1973)

Excellent entertainment and I have seen this several times each time it captivates me. Why? It has memorable scenes which makes it a comeback experience. Helping it along is a decent supporting cast and of course the star Walter Mathau. Who doesn't like bank robbery movies? Did they get away? How? How much money did they get? Will they get caught? How? Then there is the old favorite what would you have done scenarios. Remember, that amount money back then was an enormous amount and considered good for a lifetime of above average living anywhere in the world. This type of score doesn't come along everyday and the dialog in the movie makes that point. What's even better than that? They were expecting a lot less making what they got a gift. The ending is in keeping in line of how to get away without any doubts. Nicely thought out. If you were on this bank robbery team, you would find yourself saying...

Who would have thought 1973 would emerge as such a standout year for crime dramas, but just look at this list: "The Sting", "The Outfit", "Harry in Your Pocket", "Badlands", "The Mackintosh Man" (I liked it), "The Day of the Jackal" and "Charley Varrick" – one of the best from any year.It doesn't take long to appreciate that this film is a notch above most crime dramas. It works on every level from story, casting, locations and direction – it grabs you from the start and doesn't let you go.Charley Varrick (Walter Matthau) is the head of a gang of small-time robbers who hit an out of the way bank in New Mexico. When they discover they have stolen mafia money, being laundered through the bank, they realise they have taken a lot more than they bargained for – the police are after them but so are the mob.When Charley says, "You can never worry enough when you have the fuzz and the mafia looking for you", his overconfident partner, Harman Sullivan (Andy Robinson) asks, "How long do you reckon they will keep looking?" To which Charley replies, "The fuzz will stop soon; the others never stop.""Charley Varrick" doesn't have epic gun battles à la Steve Mc Queen's "The Getaway"; the Mafia only send one man after Charley, but he is so badass that they only need to send one.Like Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men", Joe Don Baker as 'Molly' is a lone enforcer. At 6'3'', Baker is a big man, but he is so menacing here that he actually looks bigger. Quietly spoken but beyond intimidating, the movie is worth seeing just for his performance.This would have to be the culmination of everything the director, Don Siegel, had learned about making movies – so much is communicated visually. Just look at the way the small town life of Tres Cruces is communicated behind the titles as the day begins. We have a feeling for the place almost before the movie starts. Lalo Schifrin also contributed a very effective score – he was the go-to guy for this kind of film back then; he had a light touch, but he could handle every kind of mood.Walter Matthau also finds the right note for Charley. He's a crop duster and an ex-stunt pilot. He looks benign, but he is anything but. People underestimate him, even his partner, but he is a man who knows how to take a calculated risk. Matthau communicates it all – the script is good, but he does a lot with a look.I think we became spoiled for choice when it came to crime dramas back in the 70's. Now the genre has just about been relinquished to movie-length series on television and cable. However Charley Varrick holds its own in the best of company. I've seen it a number of times and each time, I'm impressed all over again with how good it is.

Director Don Siegel is on top of his game with this engaging bit of entertainment, a niftily plotted and violent yarn. Walter Matthau is aces in the title role, a crop duster who decides to pull off a bank heist with his wife Nadine (Jacqueline Scott) and hot headed younger partner Harman (Andrew Robinson). Needless to say, the heist goes awry, but that's NOT the twist. The twist is that their substantial take (3/4 of $1 million) is actually laundered Mafia money. Now Charley has to convince Harman to withhold from spending any of the money right away while doing some real problem solving. Meanwhile, the Mob sends a cool-as-can-be hit-man, "Molly" (Joe Don Baker), after Charley and company.What's key to making a lot of this work is that, for the most part, it's convincing. Based on the novel "The Looters" by John Reese, and scripted by Howard Rodman and Dean Riesner, the film does a great job of storytelling, keeping its grip through a deliberately paced hour and 51 minutes. It doesn't take very long for the action to start, and the situation now facing Charley and Harman is a compelling one. You have to wonder how he's going to think his way out of it, especially since it's fairly common knowledge that the Mafia has a LONG memory and will keep pursuing Charley unless they think that he is already dead. But Charley is a pretty crafty guy, and it's hard to say just how aware he was of what he was getting into. He's got surprises in store, for both the other characters *and* the audience.Matthau is excellent in a low key and believable portrayal. Robinson is fun as the punkish young partner. The casting of Felicia Farr is a neat in-joke considering that she was married to Matthaus' frequent co-star Jack Lemmon. John Vernon is solid as the bank executive with his own problems to solve. The superb supporting cast reads like a Who's Who of talent of the time: Sheree North, Norman Fell, Benson Fong, Woodrow Parfrey, William Schallert, Albert Popwell, Christina Hart. Look for Matthaus' son Charles as a boy carrying roses. Siegel himself has the small role of Murphy, and Bob Steele has his last (uncredited) screen role as a bank guard.Highlighted by Lalo Schifrins' energetic music score and Michael C. Butlers' vibrant cinematography, "Charley Varrick" slowly but surely makes its way towards an exciting car vs. plane chase finale, and a delicious final resolution.Eight out of 10.

First off this is an anti-hero movie--if you need the good guys to win, this is not really your movie. This movie could be described as a more clever but less slick Quentin Tarantino film. I put this on because I had some friends over with their kids and the kids had seen everything new. I thought that an older, quality movie starring Walter Matthau (who they had never even heard of) might hold their attention, and it succeeded very well. I'm not the hardest grader, and if a movie simply leaves me with no regrets its already on its way to high marks from me. The production values of this film obviously don't match today's, and, of all of the performers, only Matthau's acting holds up well in hindsight. Strange as it sounds though, the dated performances of the other actors just added to the '70s atmosphere of the film, which made for terrific nostalgia for me. This is really a case of "they don't make them like they used to", and it's really too bad. Might be time to go back and watch some old Colombo episodes.