Walter Matthau…A Comedic Legend And…Action Star?
One of cinema’s legendary comedy stars was Walter Matthau. He was the grumpy slob in “The Odd Couple”, and also the beer-chugging coach of the “Bad News Bears”, where he corralled a ragtag team of misfits…
Add the “Grumpy Old Men” series of films and Walter Matthau was one of our great comic Actors…but for a short time he was also:
Walter Matthau, Action Hero!
No matter how much we all loved his comedic genius, it’s easy to forget that he also starred in a number of GREAT action films in the 70’s…let’s dive right in with one of the best thrillers of that decade:
It has a terrific movie poster and great Actors too!
Mr. Blue: “I once had a man shot for talking to me like that.”
Mr. Gray: “Yeah, well, that’s the difference between you and me. I’ve always done my own killing.”
With that “sharp as nails” dialogue, let’s head to New York City for a terrific thrill ride!
THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1-2-3 – 1974.
Take some of the greatest character Actors of the 70’s, add some dynamite action sequences…blend it with sharp dialogue and a delicious sense of humor and you have one of the great action films of the 70’s.
Check out the trailer:
Here is the plot summary of “The Taking Of Pelham 1-2-3, courtesy of IMDB:
Four armed men hijack a New York City subway train and demand 1 million dollars – which must be delivered in 1 hour – for the train and the lives of the passengers held hostage. Lt. Zachary Garber of the New York City Transit Police must contend with City Hall red tape, the unrelenting demands of the hijackers, and the ever-ticking clock in his efforts to save the passengers and bring the hijackers to justice.
Legendary Actor Walter Matthau plays Lt. Rico Patrone, who oversees the crime unit for the NY Subway. He is willing to admit that their job isn’t that exciting:
“We had a bomb scare in the Bronx yesterday, but it turned out to be a cantaloupe.”
Robert Shaw plays the leader of the hijackers, Mr. Blue. Shaw starred in a number of classic 70’s films, such as “The Sting” and “Jaws”, and he was the nearly-unstoppable killer in the 007 gem “From Russia With Love.”
Martin Balsam and Hector Elizondo are among the thieves. Balsam brings the “every man” feel to the movie, a regular guy looking to get what he thinks he’s due. Hector Elizondo is terrific as Mr. Gray…that’s right, this is the movie where all of the hijackers called each other by colors…something Quentin Tarantino used effectively in “Reservoir Dogs”.
Elizondo is perhaps best known as the Concierge who is nice to Julia Roberts in “Pretty Woman!”
The film builds suspense as the deadline to pay the hijackers runs out, and Matthau must not only try to buy time, but also track down the hijackers inside the subway tunnels…a tight, twisty thriller with a GREAT ending!
Next up, a great thriller from the Director of “Dirty Harry”:
Charley Varrick! – 1973
happens when you rob a bank that happens to be laundering all of the Mob’s money? The answer is the trailer for “Charley Varrick”:
That’s right, Charley Varrick, dressed like an old man, and his friends rob a small town bank. Expecting a small sum to divvy up, they are surprised to discover a very LARGE amount of money. It’s the Mob’s money, and they want it back – and they want Charley and his buddies DEAD.
The film was based on the novel “The Looters” by John H. Reese. The plot is straightforward, but the reason this film is so good is that it’s directed by Don Siegel, the legendary Director of “Dirty Harry”! It also stars Joe Don Baker, who is perfect as the Mob muscle who is sent out to track down the bank robbers…
Hey, It’s Dean Wormer!
There are great character actors in the film – such as John Vernon…yes, “Dean Wormer” from “Animal House” – and he shows he can also kick ass!
The “Pulp Fiction” Connection!
Quentin Tarantino is well known to include “homages” to some of his favorite films…well, you can add “Charley Varrick” to the list!
Character Maynard Boyle’s line, “They’re gonna strip you naked and go to work on you with a pair of pliers and a blowtorch,” is paraphrased in “Pulp Fiction” by Marsellus Wallace!
“Charley Varrick” is anchored by a great Walter Matthau performance. He is smart, and he is ruthless when he needs to be…a great performance by this veteran actor…
I love this vintage newspaper ad as well – “Charley Varrick” is a pure 70’s action thriller, and it delivers! Speaking of that, here comes Matthau again with another action thriller in the same year!
The Laughing Policeman – 1973
First of all, look at the tagline on the poster above:
“This movie is so real it makes every other movie in this town look like a movie.”
“The Laughing Policeman” was sold as a realistic thriller shaped by the mood of the times…here is the trailer:
By the mid-seventies, the world was a dirty, crime-ridden place, and in San Francisco, Detective Walter Matthau has to find the guy who boarded a city bus late one night and opened fire on the passengers.
In keeping with the world-weary feel of the movie, Walter Matthau is terrific as a cop who’s seen too much…and he is finding it hard to make sense of a world gone mad…
Matthau isn’t helped by his partner, the very caustic Bruce Dern, who has a way of inflaming every situation he’s in.
This was an America at the time that had seen death in Vietnam, the student massacre at Kent State, and the type of cop in “Dirty Harry” who was an enemy, not a friend. It was an America where the citizens hated the cops – almost as much as the cops hated them.
Iconic Dialogue!
The script is tight, gritty and in your face. Here’s a great line of dialogue: Bruce Dern explaining how good his lawyer is:
“He could get a sodomy charge reduced to ‘following too close.’”
More Great Bruce Dern Lines!
As I said, Dern has a field day with one-liners like this:
[to the pimp he has just pushed to the floor]
“What ever you are reaching for better be a sandwich coz you’re gonna have to eat it!”
Bruce Dern is great in the film, as is Lou Gossett Jr. And of course, it is anchored by Walter Matthau. This is the world weary, grimly determined Matthau, a much better Actor than he was given credit for…and an action star to boot!
Of course, the 70’s had a lot of action stars, and great disaster films like this one:
A great action spectacular starring two of the biggest movie stars of the 70’s – who hated each other!
Here’s the story of their epic ego battles behind the scenes!
If you want to learn more about the greatest decade in cinema, I’ve got the book for you:
The book’s title comes from a hilariously serious line from a film – see which one, and get a great peek at the book that captures all of the cinema of the 70’s – click here:
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Categories: 70's Cinema, Action Films, Cult Movies, Film Fight Club, Great Films, Hollywood, Movies, Obscure Movies, Pop Culture, Revenge Movies, Talent/Celebrities, True Hollywood Mystery
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