Butch Cassidy et le Kid

This is pretty much the ultimate action western movie I can think of. This movie has everything you could want, and it appeals to almost any type of viewer. Paul Newman, one of if not the best actor of our time is the lead along with Robert Redford, the two go together perfectly, I dare say this is one of the best combinations in Hollywood history.

Anyways the story takes place in the midwest, Newman and Redord run "The Hole in the Wall Gang" named after their hideout. They rob trains and take big scores, later the Pacific railroad gets together the best tracker and lawmen in the entire Western United States to track and kill Butch and Sundance. They must manage to evade their elite counterparts, the movie is 100 percent entertainment, especially during the chases. The movie is based on true events and is spectacular.

This movie won Best Score, Best Song (Raindrops) which was very good untraditional music in a western, it fit good in this movie, Best Cinematography, shot by Conrad L. Hall who also did Road To Perdition, arguably the best cinematography done to this very day, and Adapated Screenplay, all for the right reasons. George Roy Hill, Paul Newman, and Robert Redford all went on to create "The Sting" in 1973, which is possibly one of the best movies ever made. I praise this movie, 10/10

I can remember seeing this movie, at the Colony Theater in Portsmouth Virginia, when it was first released. Since then, I've seen it at least 30 times, most recently last night. In my humble opinion, Paul Newman & Robert Redford made an excellent movie twosome 30 years ago [and expanded on it a few years later, in The Sting]. In reading the reviews submitted about this movie it makes me happy to see that most of the people agree with my opinion. How could you not like these characters, along with Etta, "those guys" following them and eventually Strother [who will always be remembered for his "what we have here is a failure to communicate" in Cool Hand Luke] Martin? Not to mention the scenes where Etta enters the picture, when Butch has to fight Logan, when they have to jump in the water and, of course, the ending sequence of events. I won't say "they don't make them like they used to", but this one is a keeper. And if you agree with my evaluation, and have a DVD player, watch the DVD that has interviews, etc., to give you an even better picture of this excellent movie.

OK, for those of you who aren't sure whether "Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid" is a good, or even great movie, just do the following:

Scroll up to "memorable quotes". Go on, do it and then read what follows. I'll be right here when you get back.

Finished? Did you read those lines? THAT, my friends, that and the fact they are spoken by some great actors is what makes this film so wonderful. They are perfectly balanced between being funny, endearing and also revealing about the characters. There's genuine emotion and warmth in a lot of that.

Conrad Hall, George Roy Hill, Burt Bacharach et al all contributed marvelously but I love the cast; such quality and for some of them, in small, but memorable roles: George Furth, Ted Cassidy, Kenneth Mars, Strother Martin, Katherine Ross and the stars at the top; Newman and Redford who did perfect justice to Goldman's script.

"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" is rightfully hailed as one of the greatest westerns ever made, although much of the movie takes place in South America. It is a great look at two likeable outlaws, full of witty dialogue and exciting action sequences.

Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and The Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) are two bank robbers, chased by the law. The plot follows them as they travel to Bolivia after a railroad president hires a posse to hunt them do. The story is mostly composed of short pieces telling a little story about them. There is really no connection all the way through, for the most part.

The story isn't about the plot, however. It is about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It is a close look at two criminals, the talented Sundance Kid, and Butch Cassidy, the one who does all the thinking. The charisma and screen presence of the two actors and the way they work together is what drives the film. Watching the two interact, with a superb script full of great dialogue, is what makes this movie so exciting.

See this movie if you are a fan of westerns, or just a fan of good movies. It is exciting, superbly made (with lots of interesting silent scenes to music and montages of photographs), but it also has a lot of depth.

**** out of ****

One of the best and most-liked films of the 1960s, this is still a fun movie to watch today. When I saw this on DVD on a nice flat-screen set, I was amazed how good this looked. I had seen it several times before on VHS and hadn't realized how good this was photographed. I just discovered Conrad Hall was the cinematographer, which explains it. Few, if any, were better than him.

One remembers this western for several things: the two leads looking over their shoulders incredulous that their pursers seem to be always there; Paul Newman riding a bicycle to the tune of "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head," the beautiful Katharine Ross, the chemistry of Newman and Robert Redford as a two-man team, on and on. Those three lead actors, with the repartee between them, and the likability of each, make them fun to watch as they dominate this picture.

It's just solid entertainment and another example of good film-making that doesn't need a lot of R-rated material to make it successful. Photography-wise, the western scenery was great, there were some wonderful closeup shots and I really liked the tinted old-time footage inserted in here.

So, when you combine all the elements, it's no surprise this film won so many awards and endures so well.