Explore
 Lists  Reviews  Images  Update feed
Categories
MoviesTV ShowsMusicBooksGamesDVDs/Blu-RayPeopleArt & DesignPlacesWeb TV & PodcastsToys & CollectiblesComic Book SeriesBeautyAnimals   View more categories »
Listal logo
55 Views
0
vote

Review of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Disarmingly charming to the hilt, George Roy Hill's revisionist take on the western centres on two friends, one skilled, the other smart, operating as leaders of the Hole-in-the-Wall gang. With their tradition now falling out of fashion with the public at the turn of the Century, the bandits are confronted with changing times that they must adapt to in order to survive. Upon returning to Wyoming after their latest sojourn, the affable companions find themselves faced with the prospect of the advancing Old West, as well as their leadership and fearsome reputation, phasing out. Opting to become highwaymen and rob trains rather than banks, Butch and the Kid are subsequently relentlessly tracked by a hired superposse. After losing their trail, Butch suggests making their escape to "robber's paradise" Bolivia in a bid to elude their pursuers, to which the Kid reluctantly agrees. Owing to the squalid living conditions of Bolivia, the duo turn to bank robbing again, and with the Kid's schoolmarm lover as an accomplice, become even more successful and famous, perhaps dangerously so; their fugitive status is soon revealed to the wider public outside of South America and they are forced to go straight, working as payroll guards until it all goes disastrously wrong. It is the farcical elements and fast pacing of the story that prove to be the most entertaining and enjoyable facets, lending the film a jaunty tone and light-heartedness that often spills over into comedy. Even during action-packed sequences and the climactic gunfight, the titular pair's chaffing exchanges are deliriously funny, all thanks to Paul Newman and Robert Redford's chemistry. Utilizing stylistic deviations and a wonderfully chirpy musical score courtesy of Burt Bacharach to enhance the film's pathos-laden upbeat mood, George Roy Hill expertly crafts a breezy buddy movie that hinges on its more civilised Old West setting as a plot device to doom his main characters from the sepia-toned opening credits. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" is a joy to watch no matter what category it fits into, it is a sublime piece of progressive American cinema that is definitely of its time, in a good way.
Avatar
Added by flyflyfly
3 years ago on 25 June 2020 14:33