Who Else Could Have Played Molly?

Baker is perfect in the role: it would have been an entirely different picture with another actor playing Molly. Casting is everything.

However, Bruce Dern might have swung it. He was making a name for himself in the early 1970s playing tall, imposing oddballs, thugs and psychos. He was the long-haired, degenerate, sadistic murderer who fist fights (and then kills) John Wayne in The Cowboys. I can see Dern making an interesting job of playing Molly.

Also Donald Sutherland (all six feet, five inches of him) might have been good in the role of Molly. A very versatile and interesting actor who was doing the major casting rounds during this early 1970s' period, and who could pull off dangerous killer roles with great skill.

And last but not least, William Devane. Unlike the other two actors I've suggested, Devane was short and stocky rather than tall and physically imposing. However, he had great screen presence, and could really pull off menacing but intelligent villain roles. He played a terrfic villain in Hitchcock's Family Plot, and another in the 70s' classic Marathon Man. He was also an imposing anti-hero protagonist in the vigilante classic Rolling Thunder in 1977. I can see William Devane bringing something unique to the role of Molly in Charley Varrick.

My choices would have included Charles Bronson for the grit, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say Richard Egan would have done a fine job as well. As handsome as he was, I think he would have given one hell of a polished and nuanced performance. Let me add Jon Voight, too. Burt might not have done it, but Jon would have shined in this film.

Burn, Hollywood, Burn!- from the incomparable album Fear of a Black Planet by Public Enemy.

It felt like a Clint Eastwood movie, like "Thunderbolt & Lightfoot."

It was cutting edge cept for him going to bed with the secretary. Christ, his wife is freshly dead and incinerated and he's unaffected. Sure, they stopped long enough for him to cite her death, but, then he's right as the post 5 minutes later. Fine, I can accept that, after a fashion, but, to pursue sex with his wedding ring still on was beneath contempt.

Outstanding citation. He was memorable as the sicko in "Scarecrow" raped Pacino who then was avenged by Gene Hackman.

Also did a similar turn in "Open Season" '74.