AFI Top 100: #73
Sorry, Easy Rider. Sorry, Midnight Cowboy. Sorry, The Wild Bunch. But there is only one classic film from 1969 that I have genuinely enjoyed from start to finish and that would be George Roy Hill's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. I don't know if it's something wrong with me but I had yet to find a film released in that year often hailed as a classic that I wholeheartedly believed until now. This film is such a fantastic take on the western genre and one that is almost wholly responsible for creating the buddy comedy. The performances from Paul Newman and Robert Redford are incredible, the cinematography and color choices are wonderfully creative, and the humor blends with the adventure better than most modern films I have seen. I may have had a bit of a problem with some of the direction and pacing throughout the film but all of the previously mentioned elements work together to make one of the most exciting and accessible westerns of its era.
Infamous outlaws Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) run a group of criminals called the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang in the early 1900s. As the two of them lead this gang into pulling heists of local trains, the authorities start to catch on and along with their girlfriend named Etta Place (Katharine Ross), the three of them know what they have to do - escape to Bolivia. Based upon the real story of these outlaws, this script, written by William Goldman, is just wonderful and fluently combines comedy into the biographical aspects of the characters' stories. Mostly based on true events, as stated in the film's beautifully serene opening sequence, this movie takes the legends and stories of these outlaws and puts them to screen in such a fresh way that I was not expecting. I am glad that this movie never really fell into the tropes of the western movie and instead of playing off of stereotypes, it was a genuinely unique and interesting take on the genre. Goldman's writing was fantastic, full of humorous one-liners and some amazingly dramatic moments, and this plot never really slows down, which was incredible. The only issue I had with this movie was the direction from George Roy Hill. Since the writing, performances, and technical aspects practically dominate the movie, I could never really feel a distinct, visual style from Hill. Any classic western director could have helmed this and I honestly would have believed it but I specifically had a problem with Hill's pacing. The film itself was so hilarious in many parts and so dramatic in many other parts but combining those two pieces were often times awkward. There are stretches of nothing happening throughout this film that definitely could have been hurried a bit more and many moments of strange silence that offset the humorous tone Hill was trying to establish. While he did well with making Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid a great mix of comedy and drama, I still think that the audience could have done without certain scenes in order to really get the story moving.
Along with the wholly original take on this genre, the performances from the main cast and all of the technical choices made throughout this film were just delightful. Newman, Redford, and Ross are all spectacular in their roles, and the chemistry that they all share was so grand - especially between Newman and Redford. Their characters may have been the typical "brains and brawn" dynamic but this movie was really responsible for creating this buddy-comedy genre as well. The two of them prove to be just magic together and make for easily some of the funniest scenes I have ever seen from a film of this time. The two of them were hilarious but Ross's presence as the grounded plot-device character was just as important and while she could be easily dismissed as one of the stereotypical, forgettable women characters, Ross elevates Etta into being just as important. Since Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is based on true events (or so we know), the translation from real life to the silver screen was done beautifully and incorporated some fantastic, creative choices. The transitions throughout this film were great and the use of sepia-tone film for the prologue and transitions were gorgeous. I also very much enjoyed the "real" footage style that Hill opted to use for Butch, Sundance, and Etta's travel to Bolivia. Since there are no known stories or evidence of how they got there, Hill's creative liberties went into full play, as he makes that entire sequence just splendid. The cinematography from Conrad L. Hall was also a big part in making this film stand out from the rest of its often bland genre. His use of movement in the camera was incredible to see and the way he pans and zooms for the sake of the film's many comedic moments were such great choices. Hall is able to tell a funny, visual story through the use of his camera, and being able to do that alone made some of the best gags in the entire film. The more and more that I got through this film, the more and more I realized how special it was going to be and almost every element of this film was executed to make the overall experience unlike any other western I have seen.
George Roy Hill's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is one of the best westerns I have ever seen and combines comedy with its dramatic plot in such a way that I was genuinely engaged the whole time. Newman, Redford, and Ross are all fantastic together and I adored the unique way that the film was shot. Not only is this film one of my dad's favorite movies, but I am so glad that when I watched it with him that I actually loved it from beginning to end. This movie will definitely be in my mind whenever someone asks for a western recommendation and I really believe that anyone who says the western genre is boring should do themselves a favor and check this out.
My Rating: ★★★★½
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