Review of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) by Andy B — 04 Feb 2012

(***1/2) Being raised as a hardcore western fan, I was surprised upon watching the movie that I didn't remember seeing in my life. In retrospect I'm almost glad I didn't, because the themes and subtletry of the story would have probably been lost on me as a child. Watching it now, however, I can see that it is one of the finest westerns ever shot, despite being a bit fragmented and jumpy in its plot.

The movie is almost a scene-by-scene change of mood and story, but this is often the case in a historic movie which tries to document almost mythical figures. Where the movie succeeds, however, is focusing on the later part of the outlaw's careers, where they can just start to see fate and karma catching up with them. This is beautifully represented at the real turning point in the story, where the "heroes" find themselves on the run. I particularly loved this part of the film because I was subtly and unknowingly put in a position where the movie completely changes tone, from light and airy to suddenly serious, the same way the characters are feeling in the movie, and I didn't need a sudden bus of dramatic scoring to tell me it happened. In fact, the pure simplicity of the posse chase phase of the movie is what makes it great, along with the almost unearthly feel of their pursuers.

I don't want to go too far into plot, so I'll talk for a moment about the photography, which is one of the best examples in a western movie, and if you think for a minute about what I just said, it was a pretty damn bold statement. I've certainly seen films with some more grandiose landscapes, but the two things which cause me to make this assertion are the shots of the distant posse slowly gaining ground and the ability of camera focus to reveal things in the film we barely realized were in the background. The visuals of the film are almost hypnotic at times. Not to overlook the black and white footage as well as the still photographs which constantly play a huge role in movie. I'm still not sure how they got that last shot from a closeup out to the panoramic view it was.

The acting was great as many people have already heard, and the actors are fueled by a good, sparse script which brings a whole lot of bittersweet laughs. It's not exactly a classic western, but it accomplishes the western purpose, which is to explore moral dilemmas and challenges, especially those which are caused by a sudden, subtle change which throws a monkey wrench in the reality we've become accustomed to. It could be something as amazing as an automobile, or even something as simple as a bicycle.