Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
In late 1890s Wyoming, Butch Cassidy is the affable, clever and talkative leader of the outlaw Hole in the Wall Gang. His closest companion is the laconic dead-shot Sundance Kid. As the west rapidly becomes civilized, the law finally catches up to Butch, Sundance and their gang. Chased doggedly by a special posse, the two decide to make their way to South America in hopes of evading their pursuers once and for all. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation in 1998.
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- Cast:
- Paul Newman , Robert Redford , Katharine Ross , Strother Martin , Henry Jones , Jeff Corey , George Furth
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Reviews
Let's be realistic.
i must have seen a different film!!
I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.
If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
I saw this when it came out, at the theater, as a high school kid. Even then it was boring. Nothing like The Sting. I was happy to be on a date and just glad to be out with my boyfriend, so I have good memories of that night, but the movie was the least of them.This movie did fit the zeitgeist of the time perfectly (anti-heroes = counterculture). After all, this was the year of Easy Rider, Midnight Cowboy, The Wild Bunch, and many others in this style, but BC&SK was by far the worst of them. It was the first Western which incorporated pop culture and music. It was the "thing" to see it on a date. It hit pop culture like a canon. I remember people dressing up like the characters of Redford, Newman, and Ross and getting photographs in sepia enlargements for proud display. Lines from the movie were oft repeated, esp perhaps the movie first, "Oh...sh....it!". Several TV shows were spawned (all cheesy, too). Fashion was influenced. Every teenage girl wanted to be Katerine Ross (I did and I don't see why, now). "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head", was a huge pop hit, and stands up well today.And so this movie was all about the music. I don't think popular music had ever been used in a Western before, which explained much of its appeal. The music video, to the vocal pop song, "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head", introduced the relationship between Cassidy, the Kid, and Elle, and was gorgeously filmed. But unlike Easy Rider, this soundtrack then moved from the good to total cheese, with a 60s "doobie doobie dooo..." vocal interlude, during a *chase* scene, of all things! While they were forgivable in commercials and Alfa Romeo gorgeous girl scarf trailing Italian movie scenes, they were not here. I feel a lot of nostalgia when I hear 60s "doobie doobie dooo..."s, but they are still just cheesy remnants of that time. The rest of the Bacharach/David score was good, but nothing memorable. I'll take majestic Western movie music over this Western soundtrack, anytime, which better describes the sweeping majesty of Western locations. The music rarely induced any kind of excitement or suspense, either. Doobie doobie doooooooo...The script was terrible, with Newman and Redford taking up the slack with their so-called chemistry and renowned sex appeal. I can't believe William Goldman, a notable novelist and screenwriter (The Princess Bride, Marathon Man, All the President's Men, and many more) penned this AND won an Oscar for it (over Midnight Cowboy, etc????). It was an innovative script only in that the outlaws escaped and had more adventures after, which gave the movie an excuse to last another hour. It lost my interest after the music video, however, and went seriously begging for plot through to the end. Bad direction and editing was to blame here. There was too much "filler", like still photos panned over too long, instead of the real scenes, which looked like they would have been far more interesting. Likewise, the extended chase scenes quickly lost their charm, as they were not designed well and had none of the elements that we expect from chase scenes. Of course, only so much you can do with a horse chase. Other than that, the well filmed (although too many strange telephoto shots) western country at least gave us something of value to watch and won an Oscar (they weren't THAT great, if you compare any John Ford Western, or the love song to NYC that Midnight Cowboy's cinematography was, or even Easy Rider's America).In the end, this is a movie which relies on music, the pairing of Redford and Newman, in their prime, cute banter, and MTV slickness, but lacks in any substance whatsoever. To call it "great cinema" is a real disservice to truly great cinema. After the music video bike scene, it is all downhill and if this movie was released today, it would be a complete flop. Virtually nothing happens in the last 3/4 and no one would now put up with that.I hate to offend so many people, but I think the high ratings are from those who accept pop culture's myths without thinking for themselves, or who haven't seen the movie since its release and since they grew up, now without the zillions of $$ of promotion, which made the myth before the myth was even seen. The ultimate in "group think". You just cannot watch this NOW and write a favorable review, unless you specify the first third. If you were alive when it came out, watch it again to see the truth. If you weren't, don't bother, you will never get the time back. Funny, I almost didn't watch it today, as I always thought of it as rather boring, and wondered what didn't I get that everyone else seemed to. I did and it was.
Butch Cassidy And The Sundance KidThe chemistry between the lead characters is the key to this feature that breeds soft moments in this hardcore western world where everything is fair. George Roy Hill's brilliant execution skills helps this feature sail off to the shore smoothly where a bit more editing would have done no harm. Robert Redford and Paul Newman are convincingly good in their sibling sort of relation and carries it all on their shoulder. Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid being a character driven feature has brilliant performance, execution and character development in it but unfortunately lacks a gripping screenplay that may allow the audience to drift off once in a while.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a great movie with a very well developed plot and a terrific cast. It is a very enjoyable, edge of your seat western that reels you in almost immediately and engages you from beginning to end. It is vastly entertaining, as any typical western is, but with some great twists and turns throughout. It was a little slow moving at times and there were several moments where I found myself anxiously waiting for things to move forward. There are several dialogue heavy scenes that become monotonous to watch, as we are merely waiting for gunfire to break loose. Paul Newman and Robert Redford are absolutely phenomenal in their respective roles here, Newman is charming and convincing as the experienced one, while Redford fits in perfectly as the naive young one that thinks he knows everything. Their unique back and forth was without a doubt the highlight of the film.Well acted fun. Great performances and an inspired story, I would recommend Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to anyone looking for a good drama or western. Two bank robbers are on the run when the law gets close to them. Best Performance: Robert Redford
This is an iconic film, and anything I say in this review will not change that.It features some of the best film chemistry of all time in Paul Newman and Robert Redford, and lots of great, often still quoted lines to this day.I enjoyed the film, I thought it had some great moments, but the western genre isn't really my thing and I can't say that I'd rush to see this film again.That's not to take away from its obvious quality though.