Rent Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

Timeless gem - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid review by JD

This is undoubtedly the best western ever made. If you haven't watched it recently it does not fade with age. If you have never watched it, this is how to make a western. It is about a gang of outlaws who rob from trains and banks. There are moments that rival "you're only supposed to blow the ******* doors off" with stunts that although straight forward beat any car pile up for thrill. The characters are marvelous and have a great dry humour. Newman and Redford never did anything better (and unfortunately quite a few things that were not so good). Arguably the best and most memorable ending of any film.

Classic - A Must Watch - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid review by GI

A classic and one of those films that everyone should try and see. A western that is structured like a Shakespearean tragedy with lovely dollops of good humour mostly thanks to the inspired pairing of Paul Newman and Robert Redford in the title roles. Their bickering and banter but thoroughly devoted friendship is the soul of the film. Based on true events this is also a revisionist film, it mixes fact with myth and legend beginning with a sepia tinted credited sequence that is like an early silent film, continuing into a prologue that sets the tone as a traditional western before moving into full colour to tell the main story. It debunks much of the western tropes of the film genre and becomes much more historical drama as the story progresses. Newman plays Butch, the outlaw with loads of ideas and who leads a gang of bank & train robbers. His best friend is the quiet Sundance (Redford), who goes along with Butch's plans even as he fears they will be their downfall. After a train robbery goes awry the two find themselves relentlessly pursued by committed bunch of lawmen and so flee to Bolivia to continue their trade. The script is witty and the film deliberately subverts what you might expect from a simple western outlaw film. For example Sundance is lightening fast with his gun but never gets to use the skill other than in a job interview and Butch's enthusiasm camouflages that he really has no clue who to do (on their first Bolivian bank robbery they suddenly find they can't speak the language!). With Katherine Ross supporting as the woman who accompanies them on their adventures this is a really wonderful film, funny, sad and with some very memorable scenes (their escape by jumping from a cliff being a very famous one). A must see film so even if you aren't attracted by westerns try this you will be very pleasantly surprised.

Nicely paced and surprisingly enjoyable - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid review by RJ

I wasn't overly looking forward to this one as it occupies similar territory (a pair of sympathetic but doomed outlaws) as Bonnie and Clyde, which I had seen recently and wasn't too keen on. But I really enjoyed this. I have just been reading Roger Ebert's contemporaneous review of the film and was surprised that in his opinion the film lost its way once the 'super-posse' began tracking Butch and Sundance, as this was the exact point that I knew I really liked it. In Ebert's opinion this section was too slow and should have been edited down, but I loved it. I like films that slow down, take their time and actually give you a sense of what the passage of time might feel like for the characters in a particular situation. Some critics took issue with the anachronistic soundtrack as well but I enjoyed that too. I'm not sure to what extent this film was made to cash in on the success of Bonnie and Clyde, but I think it compares very favourably to it. The direction and editing has a lot of nice touches that help to maintain interest and the director (George Roy Hill) seems less in thrall to French New Wave films than Arthur Penn, who directed Bonnie and Clyde. I liked the tone of gentle melancholy, notwithstanding that the film is still asking us to sympathise with criminals.

I have given it 4 stars just because I'm not quite sure it got the ending right. The final scene is probably the closest the film gets to genuinely ripping off Bonnie and Clyde and I think something less obvious and more in keeping with the nostalgic melancholy of the rest of the film could have worked better. Still, a very enjoyable film which I'm glad I made the effort to watch.