Review of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) by Wayne K — 01 May 2017

Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid is, unquestionably, one of the most iconic movies of all times, featuring one of its most iconic partnerships, and one of its most iconic endings. In the first half I was wholly invested, loving the 2 lead actors and their repartee, adoring the beautiful cinematography and enjoying the snappy dialogue.

Newman & Redford make a winning pair, and some of its opening scenes, especially where the latter is accused of cheating in a card game and has to escape unharmed, are fantastic. But at the halfway point, when our heroes flee the States for Bolivia, everything goes badly wrong.

Roger Ebert claimed in his review that this was the point the film starts going downhill, and it does, very, very rapidly. The funny banter dries up, the pace slows to a near-halt and very little of real interest happens.

I couldn't believe how much of a let-down it was, considering how much I had been enjoying it up until this point. The climactic scene is great, tense and exciting, but at that point all I wanted was for the film to end.

If the quality of the first half had been maintained I would happily join the masses in calling it a masterpiece, but for failing to be the sum of all its part, I can only call the movie an unbalanced disappointment.