Is Charley Varrick Treasure or Trash?
Blu-ray Distributed By Kino Lorber / November 12, 2019
Brand New 4K Master! From Don Siegel, the legendary director of The Shootist, Coogan’s Bluff, The Black Windmill and Two Mules for Sister Sara comes this tough-as-nails action classic about a small-time crook who outfoxes the mob and the law. Screen great Walter Matthau (The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, The Laughing Policeman) stars as the titular career criminal, with the powerful Joe Don Baker (Walking Tall, Framed) as the tough Mafia hitman on his tail. 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. The stellar cast includes Felicia Farr (3:10 to Yuma), Andy Robinson (Dirty Harry), John Vernon (Point Blank), Sheree North (Madigan), Norman Fell (Bullitt), Benson Fong (Our Man Flint), Woodrow Parfrey (Papillon) and William Schallert (In the Heat of the Night). Two of the film’s best features are the terrific photography by Michael C. Butler (The Missouri Breaks) and original music score by Lalo Schifrin (Prime Cut).
Jamie’s Take 
(4.5 / 5)
Not to sound like a broke record but these are the type of movies / blu ray releases I hate to review. It’ so easy to trash a film. It’s easy to talk about a film with flaws. It’s not easy to talk about a film that I have just seen that blew me away as much as Charley Varrick did. How I never had seen this film until now is a shame. This review is gonna be difficult as I will try my best to convince you people to see this film.
It is too easy to declare Charley Varrick as a bank robbery movie. It’s more than that but that is how this film starts as we have Charley (Walter Matthau in one of his best performances of his career) and his wife Nadine (Jacqueline Scott from Duel) come across a small town bank in Nevada where Charley, dressed like an old man with a broken foot goes inside and robs the bank with his accomplices who are already inside waiting.
After kneeing the bank manager in the balls and threatening his life, the viewer knows that Charley is not one to reckon with and this is not a typical role by Matthau who general plays likable characters. Frightened and in pain, the bank manager gives Charley bags of money that he was trying to hide from him which will play a part later on.
When the police show up quickly due to their license plate being run by two officers who happen to pass by, the robbery goes haywire as a shootout erupts and a few officers are killed along with Nadine being shot but not before they escape and dodge the police. Keep in mind this is a PG film but we already have a scene with a cop getting shot point blank in the face and one in the stomach, as bloody squibs shoot out that paint red crimson only seen in 70’s films. The car crashes and chases are also quite impressive and dangerous looking as cars go crashing into stores and into one another. For those that miss the days of stuntmen and actual car chases without all the digital effects that have ruined action films in my opinion, you will be quite happy.
When Nadine passes away, it is apparent that Charley and his sidekick Harman (played by Andy Robinson, just coming off of Don Siegel’s previous film and one of my all-time favorite movies Dirty Harry) are left alone with the stolen loot. Harman is a hothead and as he speaks about the Vietnam war, we the viewer know that he is a time bomb just waiting to go off as the cool and level headed Charley tries to cope with the situation as well as keep his partner in check.
The film does break away from our anti-hero and introduces the misogynistic, racist and egocentric hitman Molly (Joe Don Baker) who is hired by the mafia to find the loot as this bank just happened to be holding those large sums of cash as a drop off. Molly is determined to find his man and doesn’t care who he crosses and hurts to get to the prize.
While at first I was thrown off as most of the characters all seem to be villains, we later find out that Charley and Nadine were stunt drivers and pilots until their entertainment business went under and they tried desperately to make a living before they had to resort to crime to make ends meet. This was a nice touch to give some sentiment to our main character who happens to also be very intelligent as he seems to get out of tight situations without getting caught and hurt.
Charley Varrick has balls – this film doesn’t fuck around with romance, un-necessary subplots and any loose ends in the story. Much like director Siegel’s other films, the movie grabs you by the short hairs and doesn’t let you go as the film can be tense, action-packed and at times humorous as seeing Charley come up with ways to thwart the men who are after him can be quite witty. The cast is loaded with some amazing character actors too, most of them in other Siegel films. Oh and I also have never seen a car chase involving a crop duster. Honestly aside from one small moment where Charley beds a bank secretary that seems out of character which could have given him away, the movie is pretty much flawless and a hell of a good film.
Kino Lorber must know how good this film is as their blu ray looks impeccable and is downright gorgeous. This is a transfer that, like this film, is pretty much perfect and Kino goes to great lengths to give viewers an ample amount of special features with a long and detailed making of featurette that includes several interviews with crew members, family members of crew members who have since passed away and some remaining actors who are still around (unfortunately Joe Don Baker is absent).
So much more can be said about this film and have probably been done better by more experienced critics. Charley Varrick is a better action film than anything that has come out in theaters in recent years. It has humor, action, stunts, great performances, tight direction and a very, very good screenplay that had me on the edge of my seat. Please seek this one out – a hidden treasure for sure.
Hidden Treasure/Dumpster Fire?
Jamie says: Hidden Treasure!
| Jamie's Take: |  (4.5 / 5) |
| Blu-ray Extras: | (4.5 / 5) |
| Average: | (4.5 / 5) |
Special Features:
- Refracted Personae: An examination of Don Siegel’s signature directorial style and key thematic elements in his later masterpiece, CHARLEY VARRICK by Film Historian Howard S. Berger
- Last of the Independents: The Making of Charley Varrick – 72-Minute doc featuring interviews with Kristoffer Tabori (Siegel’s son), actors Andy Robinson and Jacqueline Scott, stunt driver and actor Craig R. Baxley, composer Lalo Schifrin, and Howard A. Rodman (son of screenwriter, Howard Rodman)
- Audio Commentary by Film Historian Toby Roan
- Limited Edition Booklet Essay by Film Critic Nick Pinkerton
- “Trailers From Hell” with Josh Olson and Howard Rodman
- Theatrical Trailer
- TV spots
