Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Script review - "The Getaway" by Walter Hill (1991)

I have seen the Alec Baldwin version of The Getaway but don't remember that much about it except to think that Baldwin really established himself as no Steve McQueen, and a sex scene between Baldwin and Kim Basinger which seemed very full on, but somehow not that hot because they were married - it just felt a bit show off-y.

The script in the film is credited to Walter Hill and Amy Holden Jones. The version I read was credited solely to Hill, and included some changes from the original - I'd gotten into my head that Hill's credit came due to his 1970s work but evidently not. It starts with Doc busting someone out of prison, then things going wrong, then him being arrested and going to gaol  - the 1972 film began with him getting out of gaol.

From memory the 1994 film shared the same ending as the 1972 one but this has Doc and his wife actually go to El Ray and find out that it's not that great. This is from the novel, although greatly truncated.

The rest of the script feels similar to the 1972 one. It's tight and solid and moves along fast. But really it needs the right stars.

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