Spotlight

Spotlight Date: 17-January-10
Spoiler Rating: Low

Charley Varrick (1973)

Charley Varrick resembles No Country for Old Men only it is less dark and more geared towards a mainstream audience. In that respect it resembles any number of movies about guys trying to obtain money through crooked means and other guys trying to stop them. The titular character, played by Walter Matthau, is a stunt pilot turned crop duster who decides before the movie begins to escape the working man's grind by robbing a bank. Neither greedy nor impractical, he targets a small New Mexico town and a modest amount of loot. Unfortunately, the heist results in some casualties, including Charley's wife, and yields a much larger amount of money than expected. Charley guesses rightly that the bank is run by the mob and that he and his dopey partner (Andy Robinson) have stolen from very dangerous people. With the police and a ruthless hit man (Joe Don Baker) on his tail, he must figure out how to preserve his life and freedom and, if possible, his new-found wealth.

There is nothing remotely unique about this movie, which assumes that the audience will side with Charley because his shoes are filled by a likable actor and others around him are sleazier. (And of course we all must share his dream of robbing a bank.) Indeed, in a plot so flavored by misogyny, Charley's tepid but sincere affection for his wife makes him out to be the gentleman of the piece. He is also the most coolly clever of the lot, another common trait used to court support for an amoral hero. While the effectiveness of the characterization depends on the viewer, the movie's build-up of suspense is likely to hold most people's interest. It is not immediately obvious if Charley can handle his partner's recklessness or the volatility of a world where everybody can be bought. All movie fans have spent time with the likes of Charley, but all will enjoy his tale if crime and (the evasion of) punishment are their thing.

Copyright © 2010 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.