I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

I seem to think I saw this upon its original theatrical release but watching it again remembered nothing so certainly have not seen it since. A really very good film. Solid script beautifully delivered particularly by the wonderful Walter Matthau. His is such a seeming laid back performance and early on we really cannot see the film going anywhere but he has it all worked out. What is really impressive here is that now and again there are loose ends and you reckon you'll just have to live with them button, it all gets whipped up and used. Far from being a slow and meandering 70s movie this is tight as a drum and one of Don Siegel's best.

Walter Matthau really sheds his Odd Couple image in Charley Varrick. No laugh track here and no opposite flatmate who is obsessive compulsive.One memorable scene is where hapless bank manager Harold Young (Woodrow Parfrey) is told in no uncertain terms that he's up the creek without paddle because he allowed mob money to be stolen from his branch. What an intense scene, and if there was a deleted scene I would have liked to have seen Harold go on the run to protect his life. Perhaps he could have flown to Hawaii or somewhere in the Yukon.

This is a classic '70s crime movie by the unheralded genius Don Siegel who also made the classics Dirty Harry, The Shootist and the '50s sci fi masterpiece, Invasion of the Body Snatchers.The '70s filmmakers knew a thing about action that is entirely gone from post-Schwarzenegger action movies. They didn't have obligatory scenes where the star strips for the camera so that you can admire their physique and wonder how many stomach crunches they did to get those abs. They were rough and ready pictures about characters pushed to limits both physical and mental. They were in believable situations which only made the pain they felt more empathetic.They had stars like Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, Gene Hackman, and Walter Matthau. Guys who didn't look like they spent 9 to 5 in the gym, but that they could have actually lived the life they lived in the movie.And they had villains like John Vernon and Joe Don Baker. Both make an appearance in Charley Varrick. Vernon is a slightly less heinous character in this one; more a man who knows he's in over his head and his days are numbered as he tries to maneuver Matthau and Baker toward each other not be around when the confrontation happens.Baker is excellent as the charismatic, quirky Molly - a facade that belies a ruthless killer.Matthau is also perfect as the eponymous anti hero, surveying the world with eyes that have seen it all before and would be surprised at nothing.The conclusion, particularly, is unforgettable, with Varrick being chased on ground by Molly and trying to get away in a crop duster. Push comes to shove and he flips it, ending up upside down.

Director Don Siegel is on top of his game with this engaging bit of entertainment, a niftily plotted and violent yarn. Walter Matthau is aces in the title role, a crop duster who decides to pull off a bank heist with his wife Nadine (Jacqueline Scott) and hot headed younger partner Harman (Andrew Robinson). Needless to say, the heist goes awry, but that's NOT the twist. The twist is that their substantial take (3/4 of $1 million) is actually laundered Mafia money. Now Charley has to convince Harman to withhold from spending any of the money right away while doing some real problem solving. Meanwhile, the Mob sends a cool-as-can-be hit-man, "Molly" (Joe Don Baker), after Charley and company.What's key to making a lot of this work is that, for the most part, it's convincing. Based on the novel "The Looters" by John Reese, and scripted by Howard Rodman and Dean Riesner, the film does a great job of storytelling, keeping its grip through a deliberately paced hour and 51 minutes. It doesn't take very long for the action to start, and the situation now facing Charley and Harman is a compelling one. You have to wonder how he's going to think his way out of it, especially since it's fairly common knowledge that the Mafia has a LONG memory and will keep pursuing Charley unless they think that he is already dead. But Charley is a pretty crafty guy, and it's hard to say just how aware he was of what he was getting into. He's got surprises in store, for both the other characters *and* the audience.Matthau is excellent in a low key and believable portrayal. Robinson is fun as the punkish young partner. The casting of Felicia Farr is a neat in-joke considering that she was married to Matthaus' frequent co-star Jack Lemmon. John Vernon is solid as the bank executive with his own problems to solve. The superb supporting cast reads like a Who's Who of talent of the time: Sheree North, Norman Fell, Benson Fong, Woodrow Parfrey, William Schallert, Albert Popwell, Christina Hart. Look for Matthaus' son Charles as a boy carrying roses. Siegel himself has the small role of Murphy, and Bob Steele has his last (uncredited) screen role as a bank guard.Highlighted by Lalo Schifrins' energetic music score and Michael C. Butlers' vibrant cinematography, "Charley Varrick" slowly but surely makes its way towards an exciting car vs. plane chase finale, and a delicious final resolution.Eight out of 10.