Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Review

        My look into Westerns continues. For awhile, I thought this one was set in the contemporary times. I think looking at the Blu-Ray cover of the two leads made me to believe that it was a heist film from the 60s. I could not be any more wrong when I finally sat down and watched it. To me, I think the whole film is indicative of the changing times when it came out. Even though it takes place in the past, I feel it’s kind of relevant when it comes to the passage of time. 

1. Outlaws on the Run

        The way the film starts is interesting. As we see the opening title sequence, the left side of the screen has an old silent film reel on the duo’s crimes along with their gang. In fact, the whole film is partly based on the actual outlaws that have their names in the film. It’s unique since it establishes to the audience that they were real and everything that we’re going to see is mostly about their exploits and running away. 

        I sort of gave away the story by pieces, but it’s mostly just seeing Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid robbing trains in the West in the beginning. From there, we see just how endearing they are when they are constantly on the run from the authorities. With what is being presented, the outlaw duo are different from what anyone can think of when they think of outlaw and the west. For one, they only just rob the trains and they don’t go out of their way to kill any of the passengers. 

        More so that, both are charming when they are together. While I’ll elaborate on the actor chemistry on the next tab, I want to also establish that this is an unorthodox Western film. Sure, it takes place in the West, but I feel that with the location of the locales represents just the ever-changing nature of what the duo goes through. What I mean is that after we see the duo commit their recent train robbery, the pursuit of getting them has them on the run. We see more greenery and the days of dirt and sand is gone since they can’t stay put. 

        Now of course, to make the whole thing engaging is to have the film cast two actors that have great chemistry. Both Paul Newman and Robert Redford are the best when portraying the two outlaws. I love how we see them do their thing and have to rely on each other when their being chased. Some moments even have some comedic banter since they must improvise on how to escape their predicament. When those moments, we see that both characters are completely different. Butch is more relaxed and Kid is more focused, and it inevitably switches when they’re cornered. 

        Just before the switch to the film has them be fugitives, I love how they seemingly share the woman that is with Sundance. Etta Place is the female accomplice to the duo and is mostly relegated to be someone who harbors them. There’s a moment when Butch is riding a bike with Etta and I think it’s supposed to be the only moment where he’s at ease and not committing robberies. Following that is when they return to which Sundance tells Butch that he can keep her. The comedic timing of the whole thing basically has it where they aren’t serious about any relationship involving her but she’s the only normal person besides the two. 

2. Buddy Film

        I was unaware of the supposed copies of the film when it came out in 1969. During the release of this film, you had others like Midnight Cowboy and Easy Rider. Films that involve a journey between two people as they find themselves in a changing world. Usually in the movie making business these situations are called Twin Films. With this, I feel that it’s a Triplet since all three of them came out in the same year and detail a journey during a changing environment. Either a shift in time or getting adjusted to a new way of life. 

        Now, I haven’t talked about a Buddy film in a long time. I believe the last one I did was when I was discussing Lethal Weapon way back in December of 2020. While I have discussed other films that have at least two male leads, the gist of the Buddy film is that we follow two people as they go on a journey that involves the two of them as they clash with their personalities. The one thing that makes this film use that to its advantage is that both don’t know each other well enough. 

        The moment when they’re on the run and they question what they know each other is probably the film’s secret weapon to make the film more of a drama in a Western setting. To me, it’s sort of heartbreaking to know that the one friend who you’ve been tagging along for a good chunk doesn’t know you well enough. I think it’s something where they are cornered and they don’t have any moments of self-reflection but embrace who they are basically shows us just who they really were in real life. 

3. Overall

        Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is one of the hidden gems of 1960s and one of the best Westerns of the time.