Charley Varrick (1973)

VERDICT:
7/10 Smart Cookies

Just one more reason why Matthau was the man.

Charley Varrick is about a guy who pulls a bank job in a small town in New Mexico and quickly realizes that the reason he made off with an astronomically larger amount of dough than he was expecting is because he accidentally stole from the mob’s private stash. Lucky for Charley, he’s not a freakin’ idiot like the guy he’s traveling with and so he does his best to stay one step ahead of the game before the mob finds him first.

Not sure how many people know about this movie, but it’s one of those things I’ve been hearing about in passing for years from folks along the way who know a thing or two about truly badass movies. And considering that no one does badass movies anymore like they did in the ’60s and ’70s, it was about damn time I got around to it.

It’s directed by Don Siegel, the same guy behind Dirty Harry and Escape from Alcatraz, so we’re already off to a good start. And even though Varrick isn’t quite up to the same caliber as these two Eastwood gems, it’s got a lot of the same elements that made them both totally awesome.

Right away, Siegel opens it up with the said bank heist. He doesn’t waste any time with trivial crap like strategizing or clueing the audience into what’s going on, he shoots first and asks questions later and hooks you in before you even have time to ask what the hell is going on. It’s a mean, wild scene and it sets a great tone for what’s ahead, the only problem is that it has trouble keeping that adrenaline rush pumping throughout the rest of movie as Charlie tries to do everything in his power not to land himself in a six-foot ditch.

And despite how cool the dialogue and the characters are, it’s hard not to notice this sudden lull in the pacing. Granted, pacing back then wasn’t as ADHD-friendly as it is today, but when you start a movie off with a freakin’ bank robbery, you’d kinda hope that the next scene to mirror that level of intensity doesn’t come in the last ten or fifteen minutes of the movie. Unfortunately, such is the case, but that last scene is completely worth sticking around for and it’s not as though everything in between is garbage.

But the upside is that the script is solid and the dialogue is cool and the characters are badasses, so it’s not like I was gritting my teeth watching this thing, you just need to have some patience with it and actually listen to what everyone is saying. Personally, I like to listen; you pick up a lot when guns aren’t going off every five seconds.

The other big upside is that Walter Matthau continues to solidify his rep as one of the all-time greats as Charley, and for a guy who probably wouldn’t strike me as the most intimidating fella’ out there, he sure knew how to play it cool and he’s a blast to watch. Also love that there’s no good guys in this movie and that Varrick is an anti-hero with brains instead of just a guy on the run. Reminded me a lot of Heist and it’s awesome to see his plans play out, especially since he’s the only one who knows what’s going on.

What a stud.

And Joe Don Baker is a damn good villain as the mob’s muscle, Molly -one of those guys who’s been in absolutely everything. Same goes for John Vernon (aka: Dean Wormer).

So, it didn’t quite live up to all the subtle hype surrounding, but Charley Varrick is still another great example of badassery back when it was done right. It’s a fun ride, it’s tough as nails and it’s a great reason to check out Matthau if the only thing you associate him with is Grumpy Old Men. He was a funny dude alright, but, man, did he mean business.