Walter Matthau playing the title role of Charley Varrick expected a few thousand dollars as the score in a small town bank in New Mexico. It's such a shame they can't make gritty down-and-dirty movies like they did in the 1970s anymore. Now he has to outsmart the mobsters as well as their sadistic hit-man and the police, all of whom are hot on his trail. Maybe I've grown to appreciate Andrew Robinson's acting somewhere along the way but I really didn't mind him here. The very first try goes spectacularly wrong. Reed Farrington @Sean: Let me know when the John Carter podcast is happening. A list of Edgar Wright's favorite 1000 Movies per his list on Mubi on July 27th, 2016. twitter.com/edgarwright/status/758339515421433856 mubi.com/lists/edgar-wrights-favorite-movies, 101 films about stealing (that i like) kind of in order but not really stretching the definition of 'caper film'…. That is where their hit man and mob enforcer whom they call Molly (Joe Don Baker) comes in. But his process needn’t be questioned. ****. Varrick, an ex-stunt pilot cum crop duster, pulls off a small-town bank heist, wanting reasonably discreet score. The 70's were a great period in cinema. Organized in 4 tiers and chronological inside them. type to search. Made by fans in Auckland, New Zealand. made by GholamSlayer. Charley Varrick; We Need to Talk About Kevin; Jeremy; Pollyanna; Avanti! I've been in that downtown bank where Boyle had his office. With Harman Sullivan (Andrew Robinson) and Nadine (Jacqueline Scott) as partners this proves straight forward until they realize the small haul turned out to be more lucrative than expected. He decides to supplement his income by robbing a small bank in a backwater New Mexican town. Then again, I've learned not to trust anything I wrote back in 2013, or the Hell Year as it's become personally known. I really love the way this transplants big city organised crime into the…. 1,507 films 7,398 124 Edit, This list of personal favorites was originally assembled by Edgar Wright and Sam DiSalle in July 2016, and is semi-regularly…, Fight Professor 1,052 films 2,836 13 Edit, The film noir genre generally refers to mystery and crime dramas produced from the early 1940s to the late 1950s.…, Jayce Fryman 18,683 films 3,207 102 Edit, This list collects every film from the Starting List that became They Shoot Pictures Don't They's 1000 Greatest Films. This was a pleasant surprise; better than I thought it would be, although I shouldn't have been surprised since Walter Matthau usually plays interesting roles. Harold Young: I can’t start my life over again now.Maynard Boyle: You don’t have much choice, Harold. Charley’s wife is killed. Walter Matthau's just been 50-something forever, huh. The charismatic Matthau plays it straight here, and plays almost his entire part by chewing gum and silently thinking about what to do next. Most of the time everyone is just to focused to get going to think much beyond their resigned beat down desperation. Did someone say this was written for Clint Eastwood in the title role rather than Walter Matthau ? Charley Varrick (Walter Matthau) is a former stunt pilot turned independent crop duster who is on the low end of the socio-economic scale. Walter Matthau is a bank-robbing crop-duster leaving a trail of dead bodies, satisfied blondes and Joe Don Baker sweat across the greater Albuquerque area. The catch is that the money belongs to the Mafia, who are soon on the trail of the robbers. He lives in a trailer park with his girlfriend, Nadine (Jacqueline Scott). "Charley Varrick" puts Easterner Walter Matthau in back country New Mexico (with a side-trip to high desert Reno.) External Reviews Charley Varrick Film Notes. Directed by Don Siegel. On the face of it, CHARLEY VARRICK really shouldn't work as well as it does. And Matthau beds a beautiful woman played by Felicia Farr -- wife of Matthau pal Jack Lemmon. A list of titles as or more worthy of canonization than the…. I bought the film and became floored by how outstanding of a movie this is. Charlie: "You certainly may," and keeps right on walking. Now that more and more people are reflecting on the great career of Walter Matthau it is surprising that very few critics have mentioned his top-notch performance in Charley Varrick (the best thing he has ever done). He is not so particular on how he recovers the loot, and that makes Varrick scared and nervous. Charley Varrick breaks a couple of the conventions of film noir by forgoing the shadows and darkness of metropolitan cityscapes and replacing it with the bright, sunlight open spaces and small-townness of New Mexico, but its landscapes are still populated by crooked, greedy lowlifes and other various miscreants and oddballs. (over the counter, uh huh, and the whole shebang only tabbed out at like $9! Walter Matthau's shrewd, crafty protagonist uses his unrefined presence to put his opponents off guard, instead of threaten them, all the while keeping steps ahead of them. His Charley Varrick isn't the romantic kind of career criminal - he unapologetically works with violent killers, and he's not saving up to get his kid brother an operation. Perhaps most notably, the protagonist is a manipulative crook. You know, there are one or two very subtle clues in Charley Varrick that might alert you to the fact that it is a Don Siegel film. cropdusting isn't paying the bills, cops try to foil a holdup, bank robbers catch bullets, hookers turn tricks, the hitman methodically tracks down his target, the passport forger jacks up the price and then sells you out. just makes it a little bit sweeter. The catch? Guy's got that disheveled grumpy look to him, and he makes for a sly bad guy. Needless to say, the heist goes awry, but that's NOT the twist. Charley Varrick; We Need to Talk About Kevin; Jeremy; Pollyanna; Avanti! I've eaten in that Chinese restaurant (in the film it was the "Imperial"; later is was called "House of Lung Fung". By some terrible stroke of luck, when he and his cronies rob the New Mexico bank they depart not with the unassuming $15,000 or $20,000 they projected, but with more than three-quarters of a million dollars. © Letterboxd Limited. I knew someone who lived in that high-rise apartment building, home of Miss Fort. He plans a series of small bank robberies with his wife acting as driver and psycho friend Harman Sullivan in second seat. I may be up for it, but Dan Day is probably right in that I’ll be disappointed. also his wife is visibly not dead when he disposes of her body. "Dirty Harry" puts Westerner Eastwood in big city San Francisco. Director Don Siegel followed up his mega-hit "Dirty Harry" with "Charley Varrick." the local ABC affiliate anchor, Tad Dunbar, thirty years later. I guess I’m Team Kid Who Memorized The License Plate. All credit for the list goes to @LaursKemp. The fact that it's WALTER MATTHAU~! Come and See. Film data from TMDb. Wasn’t sure where my sympathies were supposed to lie since they were all dirtbags, but oh well. Closely Watched Trains. Everybody in the movie seems greasy or weaselly or both. It's a resolutely low budget production, quite rough around the edges, and in Walter Matthau it has a leading man best known for his comedy roles. With or without Clint however, you can always rely on Siegel to provide a good 70s crime romp, as Charley Varrick (his first post-Harry effort) proves. Show All… Favorite 2020 first watches. I like that, has a ring of finality to it." My eyes were glued to to the screen just watching Walter Matthau work. They spend the film eluding both the cops AND the Mob with tragic consequences for most of those involved. The original script was suppose to be one which involved Clint Eastwood and that would have teamed him up again with fellow actor Andrew Robinson. Perfect caper movie: John Vernon, Joe Don Baker, Sheree North and Walter Mattau; ends on a rising crane shot just like it should...Lalo Schifrin should lay off the flutes 'n xylophones, but hey, it's 1973, Toccata e fuga in grande stile, con Matthau a ritmo di Don Siegel. Charley Varrick (Walter Matthau) is a crop-duster turned bank robber in the heartlands of New Mexico, who with an assembled crew consisting of his wife Nadine (his getaway driver) and Harman (played by Dirty Harry's Andy 'Scorpio Killer' Robinson) knock off a local bank in the town of Tres Cruces. Watch for the single-take scene between mobsters as a shadow fills the cow pasture in which they talk. They’re gonna strip you naked and go to work on you with a pair of pliers and a blowtorch. Those were the days, huh?) Letterboxd User Score: 1 ; Charley Varrick robs a bank in a small town with his friends. All in all a great recipe for a Classic movie. If that is all too subtle for you, they even make direct reference to Dirty Harry at one point. This is one of those movies that makes me miss Matthau. Original tweet…, blottopreminger 266 films 1,073 11 Edit. Great slice of 70's america-is-a-business-man crime cinema that always goes melancholic and understated to great effect, and with a climax (Joe Don Baker playing an ENORMOUS jerk) of car vs plane that would make it a four-star seventies heist drama regardless of who was in the plane, really. Hey wait a minute if Eastwood had been cast would they have left in that line about " I figured you weren`t Clint Eastwood " ? But it is an odd movie. In my opinion it is the most under appreciated movie ever made and the best movie to come out of the 70's (yes, even better than THE GODFATHER, DAYS OF HEAVEN, TAXI DRIVER and APOCALYPSE NOW). Director Don Siegel is on top of his game with this engaging bit of entertainment, a niftily plotted and violent yarn. One gets the sense that Miss Vesta is the only person who keeps that bank running. "There's always a bigger fish." | But it’s so loose forming, off the cuff, and relaxed about it all, Siegel almost doesn’t make it work. It's absorbing to observe him staying chill, taking all modes of both safety measures and chances alike so as to escape. I have to say that I appreciated the fact that, at times, this film did make those references because for the most part I found Charley Varrick…. "Charley Varrick" was not -- perhaps because, despite Matthau's deadpan charm as Varrick, he is a robber whose gang kills cops and "Dirty Harry" had been dedicated to officers dead in the line of duty. But Walter Matthau as the title character somehow makes him likable and the story watchable. Older than 3 years. The Far Country – 1954 – Anthony Mann. Matthau's Varrick carries himself with the same distance be it dealing with sex or mourning or violent thugs after him. It's laundered mafia money waiting to be picked-up and the mob sends a brutal, businesslike hitman (Joe Don Baker) after Varrick and his surviving associate (Andy Robinson) once their whereabouts become known. Here he plays Charley Varrick, a sympathetic but savvy bank robber who inadvertently steals mob money from a country bank being used to launder proceeds of crime. Children of Men. Not your typical Walter Matthau vehicle, which along with "The Taking of Pelham 123" showcased his dramatic skills in two slick, suspense thrillers. Instead the role of "Charley Varrick " went to noted thespian (Walter Matthau) playing a small time thief who planned to rob an obscure, out of the way bank without any problem. . I got interested in this film when I discovered that it had an underground following with everyone from "The Pretenders" to several critics. Charley Varrick is a quality caper movie courtesy of director Don Siegel and backed up by a wonderful understated performance from Walter Matthau as Charley Varrick. More details at The twist is that their substantial take (3/4 of $1 million) is actually laundered Mafia money. Forgot your password? I love it when the mob is workaday. Not bad. score: 249 of 1000 (25%) required scores: 1, 83, 163, 260, 430 list stats leaders vote Vote print comments. Remember me Not recommended on shared computers. Watched the Indicator Blu-ray. Unfortunately, not everything goes as planned. With Don Siegel directing, this is one movie will provide physical confrontations, dramatic action scenes, destructive mayhem and explosive surprises. I didn't have nearly as many issues with Charley Varrick as I did first time round. It turns out that Matthau is very good here, playing a small-time bank robber, a common-man type who's latest take unexpectedly winds up being laundered Mafia loot! Charley Varrick; We Need to Talk About Kevin; Jeremy; Pollyanna; Avanti! Lifted from Mubi. 1973 It's a relatively simple one. FAQ The … A very good film crew which includes Norman Fell, Sheree North, Benson Fong and William Schallert as Sheriff Bill. It seems a little off to call such a cold blooded story "fun", but that's exactly what Charley Varrick is. He's smart, though, and that gives him a fighting chance, provided he can stay smart and broke rather than dumb and rich. It is surprising that I have learned more about how to make a great suspense/action film from this movie than any other which I have seen. Citizen Kane (duh) Cleo 5 to 7. Charley must now come up with a plan to not only evade the police but the mob as well. As for the rest of the cast Joe Don Baker is memorable as a really evil hitman , John Vernon plays the most laid back mobster I think I`ve ever seen in a movie while Andrew Robinson is slightly disappointing after his show stopping appearence in DIRTY HARRY but it`s amazing to think his only notable role after this movie is in HELLRAISER some fourteen years later. Varrick, fighting for his life, turns out to be so resourceful that you may wonder why he's only a small-time hoodlum. Purchase / Learn More . avg. Bill talks to writer and film historian Chris Poggiali about his many endeavors in film culture, from co-creating the Temple Of Schlock fanzine and founding the long-running blog of the same name, to contributing to various magazines and video releases, distributing BLACK SAMURAI and working on books with Grady Hendrix, Michael Gingold and Sam Sherman. Small-time bank robber finds himself targeted by the cops and the mob. Makes sense, Jackie Brown is definitely a rip of this in many ways. Reigo: The King of the Sea Creatures – 2008 – Shinpei Hayashiya. Andrew Robinson doing his poorly acted pained cry, a John Vernon appearance, a role for the guy who "got's to know!" Charley Varrick; We Need to Talk About Kevin; Jeremy; Pollyanna; Avanti! Zoom Up: Graduation Photo – 1983 – Yoshihiro Kawasaki. Yet, this is a story with a conclusion that leaves you stunned every time you see it and convinces you that this is a film that should be seen again and again (unlike some great movies that should be seen only once). Charley Varrick (Matthau) was formerly a stunt pilot and now flies crop dusters. This movie is a bloodbath and demolition derby that makes a Quentin Tarantino film look like THE SOUND OF MUSIC. By dispelling any audience preconceptions in this way, his character is established very naturally and soon becomes a rich source of interest in a fascinating story that was based on John Reese's novel "The Looters". It's almost cliche to complain about the number of explosions, but I feel compelled to mention them at…. 45 minutes plus. Metacritic Reviews. Varrick, afraid that his mentally-challenged colleague will give them away by going on a spending spree, hides the money. Despite having a huge love for the original Dirty Harry, I have had relatively little experience with director Don Siegel over the years (aside from Clint Eastwood collaborations). The interesting thing about Charley Varrick is that you wonder why you are so taken in by the story. Visit Justin Decloux’s official site: https://justindecloux.com Visit the official site for The Laser Blast Film … "Charley Varrick" is about a robber (Walter Matthau.) In "Charley Varrick," a killer chases Matthau: Joe Don Baker's implacable pipe-smoking hit man. Sure, there’s suspenseful action, some yuks, and a lot of punches mixed in. TMDb I'm not sure I can reasonably ask this question, because I haven't seen a lot of modern action movies outside of some big name superhero movies, but those have all had one flaw that bothers me a lot: the protagonists are all stupid. This is one of my favorite movies. Now Charley has to convince Harman to withhold from spending any of the money right away while doing some real problem solving. Act of Vengeance – … The trailer brothel is perfection. My original mission to see as many movies as I could get my hands on for every year from 1929 to 1970. Never in the history of motion pictures has anyone ever pushed a child on a swing quite as menacingly as John Vernon. Matthau’s almost complete lack of sadness at his wife’s death. Try Varrick's Wits Against Callahan's Braun. However, the surviving Charley and Harman soon discover they got more than they bargained for when… Charley Varrick (1973) has Walter Matthau playing a smart and sardonic, relatively small-time thief who accidentally robs a tiny bank in the middle of nowhere that ’s actually a major mob money drop. Matthau's fine performance and Siegel's assured direction makes this a must for all lovers of 1970s action movies. 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