Review of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) by Brandon W — 27 Oct 2014

Westerns were by the 70s experiencing a slow dying process into obscurity but were basically in for one last hurrah with the advent of Eastwood's early spaghetti western film career and THIS. Robert Redford and Paul Newman were two sexy, fan and critic pleasers of the day so putting them together in a quirky banter filled buddy western seemed like a natural enough decision. And it paid off this movie was a huge hit, spawned a mediocre prequel, and was even nominated for Best Picture. But really the main thing accomplished by this movie is it set up Redford and Newman for their return to the screen with The Sting a far superior film and highlight of both their careers also directed by George Roy Hill. Which is not to say this is not a highly entertaining film and substantial in it's own right it certainly is it suffers from a rather choppy and unnecessary musical sequence, some general Hollywood bullshit and most importantly it almost can't decide whether it wants to be a serious western or a screwball comedy. So how much of this movie is good cinema and how much is just exaggerated from the hype of Newman and Redford in those days. Let's see.

Alright so the film opens to some words about that briefly outline the profession and inevitable fate of Butch Cassidy and his Hole-in-the-Wall Gang, set to what looks like vintage film reels of the old west. This is thrown into question when with the same aged look we see Butch Cassidy himself (Paul Newman, playing his best kind of role the fast talker) observing a bank that's regrettably closing so he can't rob it. Flash to the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford, as a silent Deniro inspiring gun toting badass who may be a little insane) who's having quite the lucky streak at cards. The man he's playing against accuses him of cheating and despite Butch's protests it almost comes to bloodshed. Finally Butch convinces the other player to come to his senses or lose his life and just offer the Sundance Kid a chance to play another round guaranteeing they'll both save face and walk away. After some intense glaring the man concedes and the two ride off on their horses with the reel fading seamlessly into color. Alright so already you can't put your finger on it but this movie's a bit goofy but at the same time it has an almost artsy feel to it so you're ready to forgive it. Alright so they arrive after some kind of cornball discussion on ambition to the Hole-In-The-Wall Gang's hideout and we discover the gang's been taken over from Butch by Neanderthal Harvey Logan (Ted Cassidy, candy gram for Mr. Mongo!)who plans to rob the Union Pacific Flyer twice. I really like how Butch handles this and it makes me appreciate his character when Logan challenges him to a knife fight he interrupts before the fight can begin to ask for someone to lay down the rules. Logan predictably scoffs, at how their will be no rules and Butch kicks him in the nuts and slaps the shit out of him ending the fight. It just makes me laugh, and it's pretty clever. Anyways they decide to go through with Harvey's plot because it's kind of clever admittedly.

They succeed admirably if a bit comically and unrealistically, explosions fail to kill people and trains come to dead stops really quickly, in robbing the first one and Butch and Sundance postulate that night, while enjoying their riches at a brothel, about perhaps joining the army and becoming heroes or rather Butch does and Sundance kind of grins amiably like the rest of the movie. Meanwhile the town's marshal (Kenneth Mars, in his best non Mel Brooks role) makes laughable attempts within earshot of the two to raise a posse to track them down, and is even interrupted by a bike salesman. See this is starting to really seem like a comedy at this point. Sundance seems at first really creepy when he breaks into someone's house and forces her to undress at gunpoint we discover it's his lover Etta Place (Katharine Ross, I like how she's not a bombshell I dunno) and they engage in implied relations. However the movie takes a turn for the weird if not negatively so when Butch shows up on a newly purchased bike and takes her for a wordless ride to the tune of "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head." This would be a great music video but as a scene in the movie it seems out of place and just kind of random and uncalled for beyond that I'm not a squeamish guy about sex but I find this relationship love triangle really weird.

The second robbery rolls around and you're kind of like oh boy more HILARIOUS antics and the movie delivers but then things take a turn for the shitty and the movie gets really good. Butch uses entirely too much dynamite blowing the train to hell and scattering the money everywhere and a group of faceless rifle toting horseman show up outfitted by E.H Herriman owner of the train to kill Butch and Sundance to set an example. Two of the six gang members die in the first two minutes of the chase and then the two groups slit up with Butch and Sundance sticking together. The group is good though and sticks hot on their trail. We basically see time has caught up with the duo as all their tricks fail, they try to hide in a brothel and are betrayed, they try to scatter the groups horses while making their escape and fail, they come close with switching to one horse but it doesn't fool the group for long. They reach the jurisdiction of a friendly Sheriff (Jeff Corey, his brief dialogue is some of the most powerful in the film) who tells them that time has caught up with them. They should have quit while they had the chance but now nothing will save them but death.

As they continue to be tailed they believe they know the identities of their pursuers based on pooled experiences and prior knowledge I like how when they tell Etta later they say who they believe it is in reverse showing the close bromantic friendship they have working. Alright they do some Lord of the Rings style hoofing over some cliffs and get pinned down on a crevice. Butch suggests diving into the river below to escape but Sundance reveals in grunts he can't swim and would rather fight his way out. Butch coaxes him though and they take a dive in the scene that pretty much defines the movie. I love the banter, how well composed the scene is and that Oh SHIIIIIIIIIT thrown in for good measure, it really does sum up the movie for me and is one time the most famous scene really is the best. They make their way back to Etta and Butch upon learning of the group assembled to kill them makes plans to head to Bolivia which he talked about for some reason earlier.

We get more vintage looking slideshow clips of the trio traveling to New York and then taking a cruise ship down to Bolivia that only serve to confuse the shit out of me. You could have just skipped it and nixed the awkward pictures I don't know. It's not like this movie is terribly realistic to the outlaw duo's life anyways. When they arrive Sundance is enraged that the place is pretty well, third world and flies into a fury at Butch. He's almost in tears when they attempt to rob their first bank and the man starts talking in Spanish behind the counter. And so do I, from LAUGHTER. The two have to be taught Spanish from Etta and their first robbery attempt is just fucking hysterical I seriously almost died laughing. The two have surprising success though which opens up yet another question for me, they never use masks so why does NOONE RECOGNIZE THEM. Butch is recognized by one of the engineers in the earlier train scene so people know what they look like but noone does anything about it and just let them wander unchecked into banks. Goddamn. Despite their success they believe one of the lawmen is on their trail and decide to go straight and narrow. They get jobs as guards in a mine from an American who favors his fellow Americans I guess Percy Garris (Strother Martin, who has absolutely no communication failures in this film). In an act of true Shakesperean bad luck on their first day some Bolivian robbers attack and kill Garris and they are forced to retaliate by killing them and Butch who has never killed a man is hands are stained in a scene meant to parallel Sundance's swimming experience from earlier. They decide fuck it, let's be robbers again and Etta in turn decides to leave them as she fears they will soon be dead.

I won't reveal the gritty details but she's of course right. This movie is half comedy half action movie but all pure cinematic fun. Pretty much every grievance and inconsistency and there are some large ones can be forgiven in the name of being just good old fashioned Hollywood and it's nice to see that with a kind of 60s directing sensibility. The movies fun the performances are very human and the characters loveable, even if you're not a Newman-Redford fan this a movie to see.