These two were two of the most infamous outlaws of all time, but this film portrays them in a much different light. We now feel sorry for them.
Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman (The Sting and Slap Shot)) and the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford (The Sting and All the President's Men)) are members of the Hole in the Wall Gang, who are famous for their robberies. However, when attempting to rob a train, the owner of the Union Pacific hires a group of lawmen to track down Butch and Sundance and kill them. After they finally lose them, Butch convinces Sundance and his lover Etta Place (Katherine Ross (The Graduate)) to escape and start a new life in Bolivia. However, the law soon catches up with them there.
The three main actors give three solid performances. I do really like Katherine Ross in the film; she is perhaps one of the most glamorous actresses of all time. Apart from her looks, she is smart in this film and she is resigned to the fact that these two men have influenced her life in so many ways. Paul Newman is once again playing the lovable rogue, as I said previously when I reviewed Slap Shot and in many of his previous films. If he wasn't playing Butch Cassidy, it could have been Dustin Hoffman or Marlon Brando.
This film won 4 Academy Awards and was nominated for another 3. It missed out on Best Picture to Midnight Cowboy, but it beat Midnight Cowboy for Best Music and Best Song. The music was composed by Burt Bacharach, featuring B.J. Thomas' performance of Raindrops Keep Fallin' on my Head, which featured in the iconic bicycle scene.
There are also some memorable quotes/one-liners from the film, which add a comedic element to it. One of them features in another iconic scene where Butch and Sundance are trapped on a cliff face, trying to escape their pursuers. Butch wants them to jump into the river bellow, whereas Sundance wants to fight:
Butch Cassidy: Alright. I'll jump first.
Sundance Kid: No.
Butch Cassidy: Then you jump first.
Sundance Kid: No, I said.
Butch Cassidy: What's the matter with you?
Sundance Kid: I can't swim!
Butch Cassidy: (Laughing) Are you crazy? The fall will probably kill you.
The reason this is funny is you wouldn't expect Sundance to say this. He'd much rather fight and get shot than drown. Later in the film, the roles reverse when they are confronted by a group of bandits in Bolivia:
Butch Cassidy: Kid, there's something I ought to tell you. I never shot anybody before.
Sundance Kid: One hell of a time to tell me!
I love the numerous attempts to rob a bank in Bolivia; the first time, no one understands a word they say; the second time, in an attempt to learn Spanish, they end up using cue cards and still muck it up.
This film continued a long run of western style films, which had dominated the 1960s. Earlier in that decade there was The Magnificent Seven, then along came Sergio Leone with A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Once Upon a Time in the West. This is less of a wild west film compared to the others, I'd say. However, it's more of a feel good film, whereas the others are much more serious. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are more uplifting. Part of the film's legacy includes the Sundance Film Festival, which was founded by Robert Redford.
