Director Don Siegel made some pretty awesome action films throughout his career, movies that starred such notable tough guys as Clint Eastwood, Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen, and…Walter Matthau?!?
Charley Varrick proved to be a real surprise for me; one, because it’s such a breezy and entertaining movie, and two, because it stars a man whose mainly known as a film comedian. Matthau plays the title character, a crop-duster turned bank robber, and in the opening scene he’s given a chance to flex his action muscles by way of a very exciting bank robbery. To coincide with the action, the film also boasts an engaging game of cat-and-mouse, in which Matthau does everything he can to avoid the mob’s hired hit-man (played by the always enjoyable Joe Don Baker).
Charley Varrick has definitely piqued my curiosity. Going forward, I’ll have to make it a point to check out more of Matthau’s non-comedic films. If they’re half as entertaining as this one, I’ll be in for a treat.
Charley Varrick proved to be a real surprise for me; one, because it’s such a breezy and entertaining movie, and two, because it stars a man whose mainly known as a film comedian. Matthau plays the title character, a crop-duster turned bank robber, and in the opening scene he’s given a chance to flex his action muscles by way of a very exciting bank robbery. To coincide with the action, the film also boasts an engaging game of cat-and-mouse, in which Matthau does everything he can to avoid the mob’s hired hit-man (played by the always enjoyable Joe Don Baker).
Charley Varrick has definitely piqued my curiosity. Going forward, I’ll have to make it a point to check out more of Matthau’s non-comedic films. If they’re half as entertaining as this one, I’ll be in for a treat.
6 comments:
I recently watched Charlie Varrick and loved it! I was a little disturbed that his wife was willing to kill for what they thought was going to be only a couple thousand dollars, but Matthau plays Varrick wonderfully.
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Robert: Yeah, this is a mostly-undiscovered little gem. Matthau shines, and it was great to see him outside of his "comfort zone" (though he has done some dramatic work in the past, his comedy performances far outweigh them).
I'm glad you reviewed this. It's always been one of my favorite crime flicks. I'd recommend another Matthau crime film in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. And, of course, Matthau isn't humorous in Charade.
This is a great movie! And it's one I'd never even heard of until I accidentally stumbled upon it one day while bored and surfing the TV stations looking for a film to watch. People have forgotten that Matthau could turn in a truly impressive performance (because, I think, he trended toward pop comedy roles).
This is a great great film. Matthau is astounding, as is the whole cast. Don Siegel put this together for Clint Eastwood originally. Casting Matthau to replace him was a genius move. Joe Don Baker is the essence of menace. There’s not a bad scene in the entire movie. Surprised no one’s tried to remake it by now.
I agree! It remains one of my favorite films. Another Walter Matthau of mine is The Taking of Pelham 123 (original version).
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