The Getaway is a 1972 American heist thriller film based on the

1958 novel by Jim Thompson. The film was directed by Sam

Peckinpah, written by Walter Hill, and stars Steve McQueen, Ali
MacGraw, Ben Johnson, Al Lettieri, and Sally Struthers. The plot
follows imprisoned mastermind robber Carter "Doc" McCoy
(McQueen), whose wife Carol (MacGraw) conspires for his release on
the condition they rob a bank in Texas. A double-cross follows the
crime and the McCoys are forced to flee for Mexico with the police
and criminals in hot pursuit.

Peter Bogdanovich, whose The Last Picture Show impressed

McQueen and producer David Foster, was originally hired as the
director of The Getaway. Thompson came on board to write the
screenplay, but creative differences ensued between him and
McQueen and he was subsequently fired along with Bogdanovich.
Writing and directing duties eventually went to Hill and Peckinpah,
respectively. Principal photography commenced on February 7,
1972, on location in Texas. The film reunited McQueen and
Peckinpah, both of whom had previously worked together on the
relatively unprofitable Junior Bonner which was released the same
year.

The Getaway premiered on December 13, 1972. Despite the negative

reviews it received upon release, numerous retrospective critics
gave the film good reviews. A box office hit earning over $36 million,
it was the eighth highest-grossing film of 1972, and was one of the
most financially successful productions of Peckinpah's and
McQueen's careers. A film remake of the same name starring Alec
Baldwin and Kim Basinger was released in 1994.

Four years into his ten-year sentence for armed robbery, Carter
"Doc" McCoy is denied parole from a Texas prison. When his wife
Carol visits him, he tells her to do whatever is necessary to make a
deal with Jack Beynon, a corrupt businessman in San Antonio, to
free him. Beynon uses his influence and obtains Doc's parole on the
condition that he plan and take part in a bank robbery with two of
his henchmen, Rudy Butler and Frank Jackson. The robbery initially
goes as planned, until Frank kills a security guard. Rudy then
attempts a double-cross, shooting Frank in the groin as they drive
away and kicking him out of their moving car, killing him. At their
designated meeting place, Rudy tries to draw on Doc, but Doc
anticipates Rudy's double-cross and shoots Rudy several times. Doc
and Carol take the $500,000 (equivalent to $3.2 million in 2021) and
leave. Rudy, having secretly worn a bulletproof vest, is only
wounded.

Doc meets with Beynon, not realizing he had arranged a double-

cross wherein Carol would sneak into the meet and kill Doc;
however, Carol turns her gun on Beynon and shoots him dead. Doc,
having just been taunted by Beynon before Carol shot him, realizes
that Carol had sex with Beynon to secure his parole. He angrily
gathers up the money and, after a bitter quarrel, the couple flees for
the border at El Paso.