Review of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) by Juan C — 07 Nov 2009

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was certainly a much more comedic and romanticised affair than I thought it would be. Paul Newman plays it light, with Robert Redford a more brooding character, possessing skills a modern gunman would yearn for.

After being taken a little sideways by its tone, Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head swings into action and it is certainly acceptable. This is soon followed by a brilliant chase scene which lasts for so long and would unlikely ever be recreated again today. A mysterious posse you never quite see begin to chase them in an unrelenting and ominous fashion.

And then it is to Bolivia! The sudden departure shows Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid abandoning America for their own safety. Perhaps a weakness of this is that a narrative thread between the two countries never exists. Perhaps if the same person was hunting them to Bolivia for a reward. But then this is part biopic, so it has to remain relatively faithful to its source.

It may be the origin of the buddy flick, but I preferred seeing Paul Newman and Robert Redford team up in The Sting ever so slightly more. This version of the West was certainly an entertaining ride, but had little to say other than the jives between Butch and Mr Dance.