Don Siegel's follow up to the legendary Dirty Harry finds the title character Charley Varrick (Walter Matthau) down on his luck to the point that he hatches a plan to rob a small town bank. Charley and his gang (featuring Harry alum Andrew "Scorpio" Robinson) pull off the robbery, though with some hitches. But there's a problem- the bank served as a Mafia money laundering operation and, of course, the mob is after Charley in the form of a sadistic hit man (Joe Don Baker) and the head of the bank (John "The Mayor" Vernon).One of the things about Siegel's films is that he loves to support the anti-hero. Dirty Harry, The Shootist, Escape From Alcatraz each contain a character that isn't the hero in the white hat, yet we sure as hell cheer for them. Charley is no different. He's a robber, a manipulator, and he's willing to sacrifice people to achieve his goals. We still cheer for the guy until the bitter end.
Matthau is perfect as Charley, a sharp guy dumped into a situation beyond anything he could have imagined. He downplays the character in a cool and calm manner, even though there's a hint of being scared to death of what's out to get him. The remaining cast is also great, particularly Robinson as a dumb kid that's stereotyped in being the guns blazing proponent, never fully trusting Charley or anyone else for that matter. Joe Don Baker relishes his role as the cowboy hit man that slaps women around, then beds them as he rolls like a tornado toward his goal. And John Vernon is John Vernon, the greatest authority figure in 1970's cinema.
Even though some of the plot devices get silly (and dull what would have been a perfect film) Charley Varrick is a thriller that doesn't feel like a thriller; a action piece that doesn't feel like an action piece. It's there to be consumed with no definable genre other than cops and robbers and goons and hoods. This is one of those great 1970's films that have been buried to posterity.
No comments:
Post a Comment