Walter Matthau would be my favorite actor if he had only done "The Sunshine Boys" but he did so many great movies and even not-so-great movies where he still gave incredible performances that there is no doubt that if an actor who looks as mis-shapen as Matthau does could be so talented, there is hope for all of us. Plus, it doesn't hurt that Matthau is the creator of one the greatest quotes in showbiz history when he said of his co-star in 1969's "Hello, Dolly", Barbra Streisand: 'I have more talent in my smallest fart then she does in her entire body', even though I think he might have only been half-joking...... At the beginning of his career, he played his share of bit parts of creeps and heavys and now that he became famous in big time Hollywood productions and hilarious comedies, he wanted to stretch his wings a bit. In 1970, he played in elderly man who takes in a free-spirited pregnant young woman (weren't they always free-spirited in that era?) in the drama "Kotch", the only movie directed by his frequent co-star Jack Lemmon. He then made two romantic (but dark) comedy-dramas, "Pete'N'Tillie" with Carol Burnett and "A New Leaf" with Elaine May. Matthau as a romantic lead? Anything went in the 70's, man! Then Old Walt decided to show off his darker side in three sraight action movies. Guys who loved donuts; is there anything they couldn't do? First up was 1973's "Charley Varrick" directed by frequent Clint Eastwood collaborator Don Siegel. Here Matthau plays a former crop-duster turned bank robber. After robbing a Nevada bank with his two partners in crime and with his wife Nadine in tow, something goes wrong and only Varrick and his inexperienced accomplice Harman end up surviving...and with shitloads more money in the bags they got away with leading Varrick to suspect that the bank was a money laundering front for the Mafia. What first strikes me about Varrick is how little remorse he shows after Nadine's death. Next, young and wild Harman develops plans on how to use his share of the money. Varrick knows the Mob are their trail so he devises a plan on how to help the Mob 'dispose' of Harman as I don't believe Charley ever had any plans to ever share the money. The Mafia apparently outsources now as they hire a big and burly hitman named Molly (Joe Don Baker) to knock off the pair quickly and take the money and probably not run but trot back since this is Baker we're taking about. Well, Varrick soon disappears with the loot leaving Harman dead after Molly finds Varrick gone and Harman not knowing where the cash went. Finally, Molly catches up with Charley in a showdown for the ages and a stuntman's dream (or nightmare). Let's just say that the film ends with brains and ice water veins winning the day. The next flick is "The Laughing Policeman", also from 1973. Based a a Swedish novel (kinky!), the action moves from Stockholm to San Francisco with Seargent Jake Martin (Matthau) who just lost his partner Dave Evans after he is gunned down by a ruthless cross dressing killer who he had privately been tailing to find out why the killer murdered a previous victim. Martin is assigned a new partner named Leo Larsen (played by Bruce Dern), a loose and easy going guy who clashes with Martin's brash and blunt persona. During the film Matthau argues non-stop with his wife, finds his son in a porn theater and throws him out in the street, almost strangles a ladyfriend of the killer played by Cathy Lee Crobsy and also finds time to butt heads with another Inspector played by Louis Gossett Jr., who is even meaner than Martin. Catching the killer is only half the fun in this dark time capsule of San Francisco just a few years after the Summer of Love. The final film is 1974's iconic "The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three" in which a group of sadistic theives that hijack a New York City Subway Train headed up by Robert Shaw who plays the head of the gang who are only known by their colorful last names, Blue, Green, Grey and Brown (which Director and professional copycat Quentin Tarantino used again in a similar style for his movie "Reservoir Dogs"). This time Matthau's character Lieutenant is a more methodical and less tightly wound individual who works together who works together with fellow Lieutenant Rico Patrone (played with dramatic panache by usual funnyman Jerry Stiller) and Subway Engineer Frank Correll (a great Dick O'Neill) to stop these evil men. Everything works brillaintly here even though some over-the-top buffoonish local politicians played by Lee Wallace and Tony Roberts threaten to, uh, derail the perfect rhythm of the story but can't. All three movies have become cult if not outright genre classics and are highly recommended. And , remember, don't let the goofy looking face fool you.
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