“Charley Varrick” The spirit of Last of the Independents is overflowing *Note! Contains spoilers.

Walter Matthau's "unexpected" casting

“Charley Varrick' is based on the crime novel 'The Looters' published in 1968 by John H. Reese. Charlie, a former aerobatic pilot, robs a bank in a rural town with his wife Nadine and his partners Herman and Al. However, in a shootout, the police officer is shot and killed, and Nadine and Al are also killed. Moreover, it is discovered that the stolen $750,000 was hidden money by the mafia, and Charlie ends up being chased by both the police and the mafia.

Don Siegel wrote ``Charley Varrick” was determined to be a movie filled with more sex and violence than ever before. Donald Sutherland was cast as the main character, Charlie. They also agreed with Universal Pictures that the film would be rated R (those under 17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian). However, movie studios often renege on their promises to directors. The promised R rating was changed to a PG rating (parental judgment required), the scenario was significantly rewritten, and the role of Charlie was also changed.

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Walter Matthau was selected to replace Donald Sutherland. “ Go home, lover! He is a comedic actor who has appeared in a number of eccentric urban comedies with his ally Jack Lemmon, such as `` In My Heart '' (66), ` `Two Strange People '' (68), and ``The Front Page'' (74). be. It was a surprising casting, but the studio probably thought he would be able to attract customers. However, when we opened the lid, it turned out to be a huge failure at the box office. Don Siegel declared that Walter Matthau ``neither liked nor understood this movie,'' and blamed this attitude for his refusal to attend. His autobiography, A Siegel Film: An Autobiography , includes excerpts from tape recordings allegedly sent to him by Walter Matthau.

"I think there needs to be a gimmick that explains what's going on. I've read it three times and even though I have a slightly better than average IQ of 120, what's still going on?" But I was able to understand because it was explained to me. There's no way to explain to the people sitting in the movie theater what they're watching. Why not explain it to them?" (*2)

The minimum necessary information is presented to the audience using the most efficient shots, and the story is concisely told. That's Don Siegel's style of directing. What Walter Matthau calls ``dramatic writing that over-explains'' is a thing of the past. Of course, I am a firm supporter of Don Siegel.

Homage to “North by Northwest”