Matthau steals a huge load of money from a rural New Mexico bank only to find out it was mob money. The ensuing chase from mafia tough guy John Doe Baker is amazing and makes for a great game of cat and mouse that finally allows crime to pay. This literary adaptation is fantastic, and although not readily available, Charley Varrick is a must see as it deals with a Matthau character that is level headed, sober and cut-throat. His criminal savvy matches that of John Doe Bakers'and is a film that would never be made today due to its handling of race and sex. The classic Don Seigal violence is captured here, set against the back drop of the southwest, in a chase movie that uses numerous methods of transport to outwit and outlast. 1970's Survivor.
Review of Charley Varrick
