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In 1972, Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw joined forces in action thriller, The Getaway; a partnership that has been described as one of the best on-screen matchups in film history. In 1994 came the remake, starring Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, in a somewhat successful remake of the action-packed masterpiece. This year, Getaway has received another do-over under the direction of Courtney Solomon, and the results are less than desirable. Brent Magna (Hawke) is a former professional race car driver who, having dabbled in a few illegalities and unlawful trades in his time, has given up his racing days for good. Hoping for a fresh start, he and his wife Leanne (Budiga) move to Sofia, Bulgaria, in search of a more quaint and quiet life. However, their peaceful existence is soon disrupted when he returns home one night before Christmas, only to find his house vandalised and his wife gone. He soon receives a mysterious phone call from a man (Voight) who informs him that if he ever wants to see his wife again, he must follow his instructions very carefully. Under the watchful eye of 'the Voice', Brent steals a Shelby Cobra from a nearby parking garage before a police chase ensues, leaving Brent with no means to escape. Soon, Brent accidentally picks up a tech-savvy and a foul-mouthed girl, The Kid (Gomez), and with the clock ticking, they need to figure out what it is that he needs to do if he ever wants to see his wife alive again. With a number of outstanding turns under his belt, including 2013's Before Midnight, it's a little disheartening to see Hawke playing a part that has little character development, nor a story that he can actually connect with. Admittedly, he handles the impressive driving stunts with ease, but that's as far as his barely invested efforts go. Gomes is just as ineffective and with her very limited dramatic acting experience, the casting choice is rather questionable. Alongside this, Voight's role as 'the Voice' is hampered by a dubious Bulgarian accent, which is as jarring as it is utterly silly. Essentially, Getaway has managed to forgo everything that makes up an engaging piece of entertainment; plot, character likeability and a believable storyline, to name a few. Instead, it delivers a pointless and seemingly mundane and messily put-together film that ultimately has nothing to say. Even what impressive action scenes there are quickly become repetitive. Overall, Getaway is a prime example of the dangers of remakes; directionless and decidedly unambitious, it's really just one long car-chase which, at the end of the day, has no destination. Original article on Cairo360 Staff Writer for http://www.cairo360.com/
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