An outstanding straightforward action flick. The Getaway was an attempt by Peckinpah to make a commercially succesful film on the heels of the critically acclaimed, but box office sleeper, Junior Bonner.

Steve McQueen stars as "Doc" McCoy, a paroled bankrobber who becomes involved in a heist gone awry following his release. When doublecrossed by his new partners, he and his wife (MacGraw) flee to Mexico pursued by the police, his former partner (Lettieri), and the group who planned the ill-fated robbery.

Peckinpah's direction is taut and streamlined throughout, from the outstanding title sequence (a Peckinpah standard), to suspenseful escape scenes and high-speed chases. The film went on to become Peckinpah's biggest commercial success. Unfortunately, with this success came the inevitable typecasting of Peckinpah as a master of violence and mayhem (a reputation that had actually begun with The Wild Bunch).

The film also gained notoriety during production when McQueen and MacGraw began an off-screen romance that would eventually lead to a marriage of several years.