Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Storyline

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Butch and Sundance are the two leaders of the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang. Butch is all ideas, Sundance is all action and skill. The west is becoming civilized, and when Butch and Sundance rob a train once too often, a special posse begins trailing them no matter where they run. Over rocks, through towns, across rivers, the group is always just behind them. When they finally escape through sheer luck, Butch has another idea, “Let’s go to Bolivia”. Based on the exploits of the historical characters.

The original buddy movie

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The ‘buddy’ genre has been all the rage in Hollywood since the 1980s, but I think its origins go right back to BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID and beyond. Sure, the guys here are anti-heroes, but other than that they have the same laidback, wisecracking charm as many heroes who’ve come ever since. The influence of this comic western is undeniable, particularly in Italy, whose producers made dozens of jokey westerns after the release of this one.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Looking back on this film now, I actually think it’s quite a slight movie in terms of plot and narrative depth. I like the use of sepia photographs to evoke the setting, but the montage sequences don’t really work all that well (although they are included out of necessity, as the producers didn’t have permission to shoot on the elaborate sets required). The film gets by thanks to the seemingly effortless performances of Paul Newman and Robert Redford, who have plenty of chemistry together, so much so that the screen is awash with it from beginning to end. Yes, Katharine Ross feels extraneous, and the narrative is slightly repetitive at times, but there are many touches here that make this a well-loved movie: THAT song, and THAT ending. In the end, that’s enough, and Butch and Sundance have gone down in history…

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