Charley Varrick

''Charley Varrick'' (a.k.a.''The Last of the Independents'' and ''Kill Charley Varrick'') is a 1973 American neo-noir crime film directed by Don Siegel and starring Walter Matthau, Andrew Robinson, Joe Don Baker and John Vernon. ''Charley Varrick'' is based on the novel ''The Looters'' by John H. Reese, and is the first of four consecutive films in which Matthau appeared that were not comedies (although his role in ''Earthquake'' is comedic).

Plot

Charley Varrick is a crop duster and former stunt pilot with knowledge about explosives. After his cropdusting business failed, Varrick has turned to a life of crime along with his wife Nadine. Along with two accomplices named Al Dutcher and Harman Sullivan, they rob small-town banks in rural New Mexico; they specifically select small local banks that aren't insured by the FDIC, in order to avoid the involvement of the FBI and other federal authorities. During the robbery of one such bank in the (fictional) small town of Tres Cruces, the bank's manager, Harold Young, reluctantly leads Varrick into the bank's vault. As his cohorts empty the bank's vault, Varrick notices that Young is trying to hide some satchels by slowly easing himself in front of them; he demands that Young open those satchels up as well, despite Young's claim that the satchels only contain bearer bonds.

While the robbery is taking place inside the bank, outside the bank a pair of sheriff's deputies approach Nadine, who is parked in a restricted zone. The deputies have run a check on the license plates attached to the car Nadine is driving, recalling that they were previously listed as stolen; this confrontation then leads to a shootout where a deputy, the bank's elderly security guard, and Al Dutcher are all killed, with Nadine being mortally wounded. Escaping with Nadine, Varrick and Harman retreat to a remote location, where Nadine succumbs to her wounds. After removing her wedding ring and placing it on his own finger, Varrick kisses Nadine goodbye one last time, then helps Harman rig explosives with a timer in and around the car, before the two make their escape in Varrick's cropdusting business van. Although they are stopped by another deputy, he becomes distracted when the explosives detonate off in the distance, leaving Varrick and Harman to make their getaway.

After arriving at Varrick's home in a distant trailer park, Varrick and Harman discover that instead of the expected haul of around twenty or thirty thousand dollars that a bank that size could reasonably be expected to have, the robbery has netted them more than three-quarters of a million dollars. When a news broadcast about the crime reports that less than $2,000 was stolen, Varrick correctly concludes that the small-town bank was being used to launder illicit Mafia cash. Varrick tells Harman that the mob will never stop looking for the money and that even if they returned it, the Mafia would have them killed just to make an example of them. Varrick then tells an incredulous Harman that their best chance of staying safe is to sit on the cash for the next few years, live their normal lives and do nothing to draw attention to themselves. However, Harman (who began drinking whiskey almost as soon as they arrived at Varrick's trailer) tells Varrick that he intends to be a spendthrift with his share of the loot, getting increasingly belligerent when Varrick tries to tell him to lay low. He also pointedly tells Varrick his only value to him is his skill as a pilot, which he wants Varrick to use to get them out of the country, insinuating that he will get rid of Varrick if he can't. Varrick appears to initially go along with Harman's plans, but when a news report featuring the local sheriff says that they have found Nadine's body, with the only identifying feature of hers being her dental work, Varrick tells Harman he is going to break into the dentist's office that the three of them have all used in the past, and destroy Nadine's dental records, leaving a drunken Harman to pass out in the trailer. After retrieving Nadine's dental records, Varrick recalls Harman's words to him, and then decides to switch the dental records of himself and Harman as well.

Meanwhile, Maynard Boyle, the president of the Reno-based company that owns the bank that was robbed, dispatches a tape-recorded message to a sadistic mob enforcer and hitman known as "Molly", with instructions to find the stolen cash and make an example of the robbers. Molly's first contact on the job is with the owner of a Chinese restaurant and illicit gambling den known as "Honest John". Molly initially refuses the job, as Honest John has very little information to give him about the robbery, informing Molly that the money was only supposed to be there for a couple of days, and that the only people that knew about it were bank manager Young and Boyle himself. Honest John then confides in Molly that if he was able to uncover evidence that the robbery was an inside job arranged by Boyle or Young, it would be very valuable to him; he further informs Molly that he has "carte blanche" to conduct his search in any way he sees fit. He provides Molly with a vehicle (which Molly repossesses from a poor black family, punching the father out in the process), and a base of operations in New Mexico: a brothel, where Molly spends the night after insulting the various prostitutes that work there.

A drunken Harman wakes up the following morning, in a panic; he cannot find Varrick or the money. Varrick then calls him from a payphone in Albuquerque, telling Harman he has stashed the money in a safe place since he couldn't leave it with an unconscious and drunken Harman, and that he is working on getting their passports ready. He then enters a gun shop and informs the owner, a wheelchair-bound elderly amputee named Tom, that Al Dutcher was a mutual acquaintance of theirs, and that Al had once told him Tom could help him find someone to make the fake passports. Tom gives Varrick the contact info for Jewell Everett, a local photographer who also makes faked documents. As he departs, Varrick also insinuates to Tom that he has a "whole lot" of "hot" money he may need to move.

Molly is awakened at the brothel by a phone call from Honest John; Tom has contacted him, stating that he has information about who may have committed the robbery. Varrick haggles with Everett, finally getting her to agree to make the passports for himself and Harman (Varrick supplies her with Harman's driver's license, which he stole from Harman's wallet while Harman was unconscious) and to have them done by midnight. Molly arrives at Tom's gun shop to get the information; when Tom angrily demands money for his information, Molly replies by grinning and pushing Tom, causing his wheelchair to tip over, before demanding the information again.

Meanwhile, Boyle flies out from Reno to meet with Young, ostensibly to check on the bank's finances after the robbery. After talking with a man from the district attorney's office named Garfinkle--and asking him if Young is under suspicion of collusion with the robbers--Boyle takes Young out to a local cow pasture, so that they can talk without being overheard. He informs Young that their Mafia associates suspect that the robbery was an inside job, because it was carried out by four professionals, and because it just happened to occur during the brief period when the mob's money was in the bank. Despite Young's protests that it was all just a coincidence, Boyle suggests that Young will be tortured to learn the extent of his involvement (at one point telling Young that they will strip him naked "and go to work on imwith a pair of pliers and a blowtorch"), and offers to help a visibly distressed Young leave the country under a new identity. Unwilling to start his life all over again, and terrified at Boyle's suggestion that he will be tortured, Young later commits suicide by shooting himself in his office at the bank.

Molly meets with Everett at her photography studio, and she gives him all the information she has on Varrick, including his address. At night, Molly arrives at Varrick's trailer, unaware that Varrick is watching him from a nearby ditch. After Varrick's neighbor informs him that Varrick is out but Harman is inside the trailer, Molly convinces Harman to let him in by pretending to be in need of Varrick's cropdusting services. Once inside, Molly methodically and sadistically brutalizes Harman, breaking one of his ribs and continually asking Harman for the location of either Varrick or the money. Harman also inadvertently convinces Molly that the robbery was an inside job, by claiming he wanted to give the money back because it was "Mafia money"; Molly then interrogates him as to who fingered the bank for the job, concluding it was Boyle, and informing Harman that if he does not give him the information he wants, he is going to "start hurting imvery badly". After Molly leaves, Varrick enters the trailer, and finds Harman's corpse, Molly having beaten him to death. Molly returns to Everett's studio, a couple of hours before Varrick is supposed to arrive to get the passports, and asks Everett for a beer. Admiring her figure as she walks into the kitchen, Molly follows her, before suddenly giving her a backhand slap across the face. Everett first reacts in surprise, then pleasure, as a smile breaks out across her face; putting their arms around each other, she and Molly walk into her bedroom, closing the door behind them.

During their investigation, the sheriff and the DA deduce that Harman and Dutcher must have arrived at the bank before the others, and search for an abandoned vehicle. When the vehicle is discovered, a book of matches provides the sheriff with a clue to Varrick's involvement. The next day, a heavily-armed group of police surround Varrick's trailer, demanding he come out and surrender. When this does not happen, they force the door open, only to discover no trace of either Varrick or Harman's corpse; Varrick's neighbor angrily bursts in, telling them she could have told them nobody was inside. While the police raid is taking place, Varrick is at a local shop, buying explosives, a timer, and various other items. When the clerk asks if he might ask what the items are for, Varrick replies "you certainly may", before departing.

The next day, Varrick calls Boyle's company in Reno, speaking with Sybil Fort, Boyle's secretary. After getting her name, Varrick flies his cropdusting plane to Reno. After concocting a plan involving flower deliveries, he manages to see what she looks like, follows her home, and makes his way into her apartment. Varrick then asks for her help in placing him in touch with Boyle. Not only does Sybil agree to help him, but she and Varrick end up spending the night together in her apartment, after Varrick remarks on her round-shaped bed. Sybil then telephones Boyle at his hotel, before putting Varrick on the line. Varrick offers to return the stolen money, on the condition that the matter of the robbery is closed and he is allowed to leave in peace. He also demands that Boyle arrives alone, threatening to call the deal off if Molly or anyone else shows up with Boyle at the rendezvous, which is to take place the next morning at a remote junkyard. Boyle tells Molly he won't be needed at the junkyard, though Molly argues against this.

The next morning, Varrick lands his plane at the junkyard and, in an effort to fool any observers, pretends to be overjoyed and hugs a confused Boyle. Watching from a distance inside his car, Molly believes his suspicions about Boyle have been confirmed. Molly then proceeds to barrel towards Varrick and Boyle at high speed; Varrick dodges out of the way, but Molly disregards him and chases after a fleeing Boyle, eventually running him down and killing him. Molly then chases Varrick's plane with his car and damages it so that it will not be able to fly. At the end of the chase, Varrick deliberately flips the plane upside down, a stunt that he used to do in his barnstorming days, leading a laughing Molly to believe that Varrick has legitimately wrecked.

Molly approaches the flipped-over plane, with Varrick apparently trapped in the wreckage and unable to use one of his arms. Varrick then tells Molly that the money is in the trunk of a nearby car, asking Molly only to let him go free in exchange. Molly retrieves the keys from Varrick, without agreeing to Varrick's offer. He opens the trunk, only to discover Harman's corpse, clad in Varrick's clothes and wearing Nadine's wedding ring on the same finger Varrick had worn it on after she died, along with the bank satchels that originally contained the mob's money. Just as Molly is beginning to register what is happening, the car explodes, killing him. Varrick frees himself and walks over to another car, opening the trunk to reveal the money inside a couple of plastic garbage bags. He takes a handful of money and scatters it in and around the flames of the exploded car's trunk, giving the impression that the rest of the money was destroyed in the explosion. He then strips off his flying gear and flight suit, throwing them into the fire as well. Getting into the car that has the money in the trunk, he glances at Molly's burned corpse that has been thrown onto another wrecked car. Although his car does not initially start up, on the third try the engine turns over, and Varrick drives away, departing the scene having faked his own death.

Cast

* Walter Matthau as Charley Varrick
* Andy Robinson as Harman Sullivan
* Joe Don Baker as Molly
* John Vernon as Maynard Boyle
* Sheree North as Jewell Everett
* Felicia Farr as Sybil Fort
* Norman Fell as Garfinkle
* Woodrow Parfrey as Harold Young
* William Schallert as Sheriff Horton
* Jacqueline Scott as Nadine
* Benson Fong as Honest John
* Marjorie Bennett as Mrs. Taft
* Tom Tully as Tom
* Kathleen O'Malley as Jessie
* Albert Popwell as Randolph Percy
* Bob Steele as Bank Guard (uncredited)
* Don Siegel as Murphy
* Joe Conforte as himself
* James Nolan as Clerk

Production

Director Don Siegel wanted Varrick's company's motto, "Last of the Independents", to be the title of the film. The motto appears on the film poster and briefly as a subtitle in the film trailer.

When the hit man Molly arrives at Jewell's photo studio and introduces himself, Jewell sarcastically replies, "Yeah, I didn't figure you for Clint Eastwood". The role of Varrick was written specifically for Eastwood, whom, after initially accepting the role, ultimately turned it down, reportedly because Eastwood decided the character had no redeeming features.

Matthau was also reported to have been unimpressed by the film, and Siegel later claimed that Matthau hurt the film's box-office performance by publicly stating that he neither liked the film nor understood what it was about. Matthau sent Siegel a note that said, "I have seen it three times, and am of slightly better than average intelligence (IQ 120) but I still don't quite understand what's going on. Is there a device we can use to explain to people what they're seeing?"

Varrick's aircraft is a converted Boeing PT-17 Stearman Kaydet (N53039) crop-duster flown by Hollywood aerial pilot Frank Tallman. The modified crop-duster belonged to a California agricultural spraying business. This same aircraft crashed in Oakdale, California, on December 31, 1976, killing the pilot, who was crop-dusting. The plane's wing caught an electric wire and crashed.

Locations

Director Don Siegel filmed several of his movies in northern Nevada, including ''Charley Varrick'', ''The Shootist'' and '' Jinxed!'' ''Charley Varrick'' was set in New Mexico but was filmed primarily in two small Nevada towns, Dayton and Genoa. Both towns lay a claim to being the oldest towns in the state. The opening bank robbery exterior scenes were filmed in Genoa, at the old Douglas County court house. The sheriff's chase of Varrick and his gang was filmed nearby on Genoa Lane and Nevada State Route 207.

The interior bank scenes were filmed in Minden. The trailer park scenes were filmed in Dayton by US Route 50 at the trailer park, located near the Red Hawk Casino, which closed in 2008, and the Carson River, at the corner of Hart and Louie Streets. The photographer's studio and gun store scenes were filmed in Gardnerville. The crop-duster flight scenes at the film's conclusion were filmed at the now-closed City Auto Wrecking, east of Sparks, near Lockwood Nevada, by Canyon Way Road. The Reno filming locations included a Chinese restaurant formerly located at 538 South Virginia Street and the condominium where Varrick meets Miss Fort at Arlington Towers condominiums, 100 N. Arlington Avenue."Locations: 'Charley Varrick' (1973)."
''IMDb''. Retrieved: December 1, 2015.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 82% from 28 reviews with the consensus: "With Walter Matthau adding hangdog soul to Don Siegel's propulsive direction, ''Charley Varrick'' is a crime thriller that really scores."

Although critically very well received, the film underperformed at the box office but still turned out to be a modest hit. Reviewer Paul Tatara describes ''Charley Varrick'' as "intelligent, commercial filmmaking at its finest. They rarely make them like this anymore."

Vincent Canby, in his review for ''The New York Times'', considered ''Charley Varrick'' as both an action film and a mystery:

An intelligent action melodrama is probably one of the most difficult kinds of film to make. Intelligence in this case has nothing to do with being literate, poetic, or even reasonable. It has to do with movement, suspense, and sudden changes in fortune that are plausible enough to entertain without challenging you to question basic premises. If you start asking whether such-and-such could really have happened, or if so-and-so would have acted in a certain way, the action film falls apart.

John Simon at ''New York'' magazine said that ''Charley Varrick'' is one of the more accomplished specimens of the gangster genre.

While not strictly a "remake", '' 2 Guns'' (2013) has many of its film elements lifted from ''Charley Varrick.''

Awards

Matthau won the 1974 British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards for Best Actor in ''Charley Varrick''. In addition, Frank Morriss was nominated for the 1974 British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards for Best Editing.

Home media

''Charley Varrick'' was released as a Region 1 DVD with no extras on December 28, 2004. On February 14, 2008, the film was released as a Region 2 DVD in Europe in widescreen with some special features. Both DVD versions are uncut. On March 19, 2015, the film was released as a Region-B locked Blu-ray in Germany. This edition includes a 72-minute documentary on the making of the film, titled "Last of the Independents: Don Siegel and the Making of Charley Varrick".

On November 12, 2019, the film was released in a Region-A locked Blu-ray by Kino Lorber with an exclusive new 4K remaster. This edition includes the "Last of the Independents" documentary, "Refracted Personae", a new video essay with critic Howard S Berger, an archival episode of Trailers from Hell, and a new audio commentary with critic Toby Roan.

Cultural impact

According to Rory Gallagher's long-time bassist Gerry McAvoy, in his book ''Riding Shotgun: 35 Years on the Road with Rory Gallagher and Nine Below Zero'', Gallagher's 1978 song "Last of the Independents" was inspired by ''Charley Varrick''."The last of the Independents."
''rorygallagher.com''. Retrieved: December 1, 2015. The "Last of The Independents" logo appears in the film on the back of the Varrick company's jumpsuits and on his truck.

See also

* List of American films of 1973

Footnotes

Sources

** Davies, Ray. ''X-Ray: The Unauthorized Autobiography''. New York: The Overlook Press, 1995. .
* McAvoy, Gerry with Pete Chrisp. ''Riding Shotgun: 35 Years on the Road with Rory Gallagher and 'Nine Below Zero'.'' Maidstone, Kent, UK: SPG Triumph, 2005. .
* Siegel, Don. ''A Siegel Film: An Autobiography''. New York: Faber & Faber, 1996. .

External links

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Onion AV Club review

{{Don Siegel

1973 films
1970s action thriller films
1973 crime thriller films
1970s heist films
American action thriller films
American aviation films
American chase films
American crime thriller films
American heist films
Films scored by Lalo Schifrin
Films about bank robbery
Films based on American novels
Films directed by Don Siegel
Films set in New Mexico
Films set in Reno, Nevada
Films shot in Nevada
Universal Pictures films
American neo-noir films
1970s English-language films
1970s American films
English-language crime thriller films
English-language action thriller films