Charley Varrick

PG

1973

1 hr. 51 min.

Crime

Drama

Action

List

82%

28 Reviews

Tomatometer

83%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

When small-time criminal Charley Varrick (Walter Matthau) leads a crew to rob a bank, things don't exactly go according to plan. Not only are there casualties, but also, he and his surviving cohort, Harman Sullivan (Andy Robinson), discover that they've snagged far more cash than they were expecting --and it's money that belongs to the mob. Hunted by both the police and a ruthless killer named Molly (Joe Don Baker), Charley and Harman may not live long enough to enjoy their small fortune.

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Critics Consensus

With Walter Matthau adding hangdog soul to Don Siegel's propulsive direction, Charley Varrick is a crime thriller that really scores.

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Blu B

Underrated All Time Classic. Besides the out of place brief post sex scene and having a little trouble keeping the super fast pace up following the amazing 15 minute opening, this is pretty much flawless across the baord. It masterfully stays focused on Charley while also bouncing between the event driven complex plot in a way that never feels convuluted. This does pick up the pacing once the super sharp script takes over and builds fantastic tension and suspense. Joe Don is an amazing villian in this as well. Along with everyone else giving first rate performances especially Mattahu who is a ice cold badass in this. Everyone should give this a try once.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/21/24

Full Review

Bucky R

The Schifrin soundtrack is killer. Matthau and Baker are great as cold-blooded tough guys.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/16/24

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Mitch M

A lost classic! The plot is excellent, and Joe Don Baker plays a great hitman for the Mafia. After Charley realizes that he stole Mafia money, he not only has to elude the mob, but he has to figure out how to control his partner who has a very short fuse and is very impatient. Great clever ending!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/12/24

Full Review

WinthropWarriors

Surprisingly good movie! I wasn't expecting much from this movie, but I saw Walter Matthau was in it so decided to give it a go. I was very pleasantly surprised. The story it tight. The acting is great. The pacing is quick. Everything about this movie is perfect. Considering it was made over 50 years ago, it still holds up really, really well.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/06/24

Full Review

nick s

The movie delivers good pacing and action sequences. While it is an action movie and thus a little overcooked, it doesn't blow out and become absurd. A few things could have been better - for example Charley shrugs off his wife's fate a bit too easily - but overall I enjoyed the movie. Solid performances by the cast.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/21/24

Full Review

Audience Member

The late Walter Matthau and Andrew Robinson are professional bank robbers Charley Varreck and Harman Sullivan They pull off their biggest job from a federal reserve bank but lose a partner But they find out the money they stole is drop money by the mafia; meant to be a temporary holding without income tax and no spending value Their chances are slim if they are caught being killed instead of being arrested and put on trial It's a fair effort to say the least When it's not focusing on Charley it's rather dull and slogs along Odd too that this is PG with plenty of adult content sprinkled I definitely thought Dirty Harry was better

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/19/23

Full Review

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Don Siegel

Director

Walter Matthau

Charley Varrick

Joe Don Baker

Molly

Felicia Farr

Sybil Fort

Andrew Robinson

Harman Sullivan

John Vernon

Maynard Boyle

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Pauline Kael

New Yorker

Charley Varrick doesn't even look good; the color is blah and runny, the compositions are squat and no more than functional, and the director, Don Siegel, slogs along from scene to scene.

Sep 19, 2023

Full Review

Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

Thanks to Siegel's impeccable direction and to the imaginative script Howard Rodman and Dean Riesner fashioned from John Reese's novel "The Looters," this... becomes a compelling struggle between brains and brawn.

Jun 11, 2021

Full Review

George McKinnon

Boston Globe

As in all Siegel films, there is constant violence, but a sharp, clear focus and quick action prevents you from dwelling on plot inconsistencies.

Jun 11, 2021

Full Review

Sean Burns

Crooked Marquee

Siegel's cutting is as ruthless as his characters, and it’s easy to see an autobiographical aspect to Charley Varrick’s no-nonsense pragmatism.

Jan 15, 2024

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...entertaining and thoroughly satisfying...

Rated: 3/4

Jul 4, 2023

Full Review

Janet Maslin

Boston Phoenix

Charley may have the look of a B-picture, but in this case that's a compliment; Siegel is a master of the whole tacky genre, and he also lends it an emotionalism which it usually lacks.

Oct 8, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

When small-time criminal Charley Varrick (Walter Matthau) leads a crew to rob a bank, things don't exactly go according to plan. Not only are there casualties, but also, he and his surviving cohort, Harman Sullivan (Andy Robinson), discover that they've snagged far more cash than they were expecting --and it's money that belongs to the mob. Hunted by both the police and a ruthless killer named Molly (Joe Don Baker), Charley and Harman may not live long enough to enjoy their small fortune.

Director: Don Siegel
Executive Producer: Jennings Lang
Screenwriter: Dean Riesner, Howard Rodman
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Crime, Drama, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 11, 2015

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