Charley Varrick
He stole from the Mob, now he's running for his life
Charley Varrick is a small-time crook who outfoxes the Mob in this fast-paced offbeat thriller directed by Don Siegel. Academy Award winner Walter Matthau stars in a rare dramatic role, along with the powerful Joe Don Baker, as a tough Mafia hitman.
Charley robs small banks with small payrolls. That keeps him out of trouble until he stumbles onto the Mob's secret stash. The chase is on as the Big Boys go after the "Last of the Independents." It's a heart-pounding ride that builds to a fiery airborne climax as Charley makes his last desperate run for the Mexican border and safety.
Member Reviews
Excellent Bank Robbery/Thriller - newdaysof
Walter Matthau is one of my favourite actors and it is really interesting to see him portray a cunning, ruthless bank-robber. Him and his partner are running for their lives and being chased by the police and the mafia, but Matthau's character always seems to stay two steps ahead of them in this great action-packed thriller.
I really enjoy watching action films made in the 70's like this one because they include great locations and scenery, fast pace, lots of plot twists and turns, but not a lot of violence. Most action films made these days contain extreme violence and I just can't stand them. The 1970's are definitely the golden age of movies.They don't make them like this anymore. - Projectionist
This is a great forgotten gem of a movie.
After robbing a small time bank Charley Varrick discovers he's robbed the mob who had some money stashed away there.
Matthau may not be your idea of the kind of actor who should be in a movie like this but he nails the world weary robber who gets by by being the smartest guy in the room.
Don Siegal may be remembered for his work on the Dirty Harry movies but I think this may be his best work.An excellent thriller - Spadinasaur
Charley Varrick, played by Walter Matthau, leads a gang of four in a New Mexico bank robbery. Expecting only a modest sum, he and his gang exit with nearly a million dollars. Varrick quickly realizes that the money is hot and that both the police (bad) and the mob (worse) will be after them.
A highly entertaining thriller. Matthau plays the ingenious Varrick to perfection.
Member Reviews
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Excellent Bank Robbery/Thriller - newdaysof
Walter Matthau is one of my favourite actors and it is really interesting to see him portray a cunning, ruthless bank-robber. Him and his partner are running for their lives and being chased by the police and the mafia, but Matthau's character always seems ...They don't make them like this anymore. - Projectionist
This is a great forgotten gem of a movie.
After robbing a small time bank Charley Varrick discovers he's robbed the mob who had some money stashed away there.
Matthau may not be your idea of the kind of actor who should be in a movie like this but he ...An excellent thriller - Spadinasaur
Charley Varrick, played by Walter Matthau, leads a gang of four in a New Mexico bank robbery. Expecting only a modest sum, he and his gang exit with nearly a million dollars. Varrick quickly realizes that the money is hot and that both the police (bad) and ...