"One of the least-sung, rarely seen chase movies of fairly recent vintage...probably Don Siegel's best effort since the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Walter Matthau is lanky and lugubrious as Charley Varrick, a small-time, small-town bank robber who lives in a trailer and likes to keep out of the way. Matthau brings a low-key, commonsense presence-reminiscent of his role as the sheriff in Lonely Are the Brave-into what is otherwise an hysterical atmosphere...(This) is difficult to bring off without seeming phony or pretentious..." After Varrick knocks over a small New Mexico bank and accidentally comes away with a Mafia booty, "The Chase is made especially horrifying due to the unusual persona of the hit-and-recovery man (Joe Don Baker)...a flesh and blood Terminator not at all like a comic book muscleman...This movie is dusty and low-rent, a late 20th century western with no generous souls. We admire Varrick for his cleverness, his ability to slide by, but his horizon is a colorless L.A., a low-profile one-eye-over-your-shoulder existence. Guys like him drive past you on the freeway every day." --Barry Gifford