charley varrick

Director: don siegel

Actor: walter matthau,joe don baker,felicia farr,andrew robinson

Data Published: Fri Oct 05 1973

Genres: Action,Crime,Drama,Thriller

Key Words: neo noir,cult film,small town,bank robbery,heist

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069865/

WIKI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charley_Varrick

Description: Charley Varrick is a movie starring Walter Matthau, Joe Don Baker, and Felicia Farr. A man, his wife and their friend stage a bloody bank robbery without realizing they are stealing from the Mob.

Plot: Charley Varrick is a crop-duster and former stunt pilot. With his wife Nadine, Al Dutcher, and Harman Sullivan, Charley robs a bank in the rural community of Tres Cruces, New Mexico. While Nadine waits in the getaway car, the heavily disguised Charley and his two accomplices draw their guns and the robbery begins. The license plate of their car is recognized as stolen by an officer in a passing police car. When they approach Nadine, she shoots, killing one instantly and seriously wounding the other, but the second officer returns fire, wounding her. The melee outside distracts the robbers, enabling the bank guard to kill Dutcher. Sensing that the bank manager is concealing something, Charley forces him to reveal two large satchels of cash. Charley, Harman, and Nadine flee, but Nadine dies soon after. Charley and Harman swap vehicles and prepare to blow up the getaway car, with Nadine's body inside. They are stopped by another policeman, but before he can search their van, the explosion goes off and the officer races away. When they count the money, it is much more than they expected: $765,118. After a local news broadcast reports that only $2,000 was stolen, Charley realizes the bank must be involved in a money laundering operation. He warns Harman that the Mafia will pursue them relentlessly and that their only chance is lying low and not spending the money for three or four years, but Harman will not listen. Meanwhile, Maynard Boyle, president of the bank, dispatches hitman Molly to recover the money. Realizing that Harman's rashness will doom them both, Charley double-crosses him. Because he, Nadine, and Harman all had dental work done recently, Charley breaks into the surgery, stealing his and Nadine's X-rays and swapping Harman's for his. To obtain passports, Charley contacts Tom, an old accomplice of Dutcher's, who directs him to local photographer Jewell Everett. He has his photograph taken, but he also gives her Harman's driver's license, thereby ensuring that Molly will find Harman. Tom immediately informs on Charley. Jewell also betrays Charley, but he never returns for the passports. Molly turns up at Charley's trailer and tortures Harman to death to try to locate Charley and the money. Boyle meets secretly with Tres Cruces bank manager Harold Young, advising Young that his Mafia superiors will suspect that the robbery was an inside job because it occurred during the brief period when the money was there. He suggests that Young will be tortured. Young is so terrified that he commits suicide. Charley purchases dynamite, then flies to Reno, where he has flowers delivered to Boyle's secretary so he can identify her and follow her home. He seduces Fort in her apartment. Fort warns Charley not to trust her boss. Charley then contacts Boyle, offering to return the money. He arranges a meeting at a remote automobile wrecking yard and insists that Boyle come alone. Charley overflies the wrecking yard and spots Molly's car. After landing, Charley hugs the confounded Boyle, acting overjoyed; Molly falls for the ruse and assumes that Boyle is Charley's co-conspirator, so he runs Boyle down with his car, killing him. Molly then chases Charley, who tries to fly away, but Molly damages the crop-duster's tail with his car and the aircraft flips over. Trapped in the wreckage, Charley tells Molly that the money is in the trunk of a nearby car. However, Charley had flipped his aircraft on purpose. When Molly opens the trunk, he sees Harman's body, wearing Charley's wedding ring, and the bank satchels; an instant later, he is killed by a booby trap. Charley throws a wad of hundred-dollar bills toward the burning car, then drives away.