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Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid
Customer Reviews
Rating:  - Has anyone over age 20 NOT seen this film?
I can't believe this movie was made in 1969. But then I look at how YOUNG Newman and Redford are in the film and how craggy and `well-seasoned' they look now and figure, yeah, that was a long time ago. The pairing of these two actors was brilliant; the chemistry between them, the way they can play off each other's strengths, was recaptured years later in The Sting.
BC and the SDK starts of as a loopy set piece of two giddy train robbers just living from one holdup to the next one - but then they rob the wrong guy and he hires a world-class tracker ("Who ARE those guys?") who just won't give up. They keep running - all the way to Bolivia.
And okay, maybe the bicycle scene in the meadow with Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head is schmaltzy - but didn't you love it? And don't you remember that scene every time you hear the song on the radio?
A movie really doesn't get much better than this.
Rating:  - Redford And Newman
This film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman in 1969 is a true classic western. Robert Redford as the Sundance Kid, and Paul Newman as Butch Cassidy are wonderful together. In their first film together, they play the roles of outlaws who make a living robbing trains. After a relentless posse is formed to track them down, Butch and Sundance are constantly on the run eventually flushed to Bolivia where they attempt to continue their wistful ways. The cinematography is breathtaking at times although i thought the scenes from Bolivia were somewhat poor. This box-office hit won two oscars, one by David Goldman for his script writing and the other by Burt Bacarach and Hal David for the movies theme song "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head". Katherine Ross also plays the part of Sundances beautiful girlfriend Etta Pace. If you are a Newman and Redford fan this is a must see! A bit of trivia: Newman first offered the part of Sundance to Jack Lemmon who declined.
Rating: - Redefined The Western Genre
I know, I know. . .many can take issue with the title above. Consider Sergio Leone's "spaghetti" Westerns, or Sam Peckinpah's brutal "The Wild Bunch." Both directors broke ground, but in my very humble opinion neither had the same impact on the genre that director George Roy Hill commanded when BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID hit the big screen in 1969.
This film took a Western and injected it with a healthy dose of pop culture. The soundtrack bears this out--even to the point of treating us with the pre-MTV music video, "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head." Ever see a John Wayne movie of the Sixties that had jazz singers humming the soundtrack? Didn't think so.
Even more compelling is the story, a story about two bank robbers trying to hang onto the Old West in a rapidly changing world. They're outlaws, but they're the "good guys," totally likeable and captivating. The viewer is pulling for them to escape the law, plan their next move, rob another day. The ending is inevitable, yet tastefully and poignantly done.
Much has been made about the chemistry between Paul Newman (Butch Cassidy) and Robert Redford (Sundance)--and rightfully so. The dialogue, banter, timing between these two wonderful actors is flawless, brilliant, overwhelming. There are classic lines ("Who are those guys?") and scenes (Butch's "rules" for a knife fight) that will live in cinematic lore forever. Katharine Ross as Etta Place ("I'm 25, single, a schoolteacher, and that's the pits.") is a wonderful addition to the cast as Sundance's girlfriend and soulmate to both outlaws.
Equally innovative was the film's cinematography--starting in grainy black and white and changing to vivid color as Butch and Sundance ride over breathtaking scenery. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID ushered in the contemporary Western, and I'm darned glad it did.
--D. Mikels
Rating: - Casting Dustin Hoffman As Butch Cassidy?
BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID is a story about two characters in Wyoming who pull several train holdups and bank robberies before being pursued relentlessly by posses. They end up in Bolivia where their luck runs out as the last we see of them Butch and Sundance are in a shootout with a large contingent from the Bolivian Army. Do they survive or do they die in a hail of gunfire? That is the big unanswered question.
The movie contains lots of action as well as a good deal of comedy. Don't miss that scene-stealing rascal Strother martin. He is up to his old tricks again in this one.
According to the Internet Movie Database, Dustin Hoffman was considered for the part of Butch Cassidy and Steve McQueen almost took the role of Sundance. How much difference would this have made in the final product? I would bet that either substitution would not have resulted in an improvement.
The big competition in 1969 for Oscars came from MIDNIGHT COWBOY, TRUE GRIT and THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE. In spite of the tough field, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID still managed to win nominations for Best Picture, Director and Sound.
Rating: - No matter how the West was WON this film shows it was FUN!
This is a classic not to be missed. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is one of the last examples of a time when Hollywood made quality classics on a regular basis--instead of the [junk] it now generates 95 % of the time. This movie embodies several gold standard qualities of Hollywood classics: 1) Star power and star chemistry yielding unforgettable characters 2) a well-written script that will be quoted until the end of time 3) ingenuity in cinematography and film editing.
1) There are many stories about how exactly Newman and Redford got cast. Some say Steve McQueen was supposed to star opposite Newman, but refused after he found out he would not get top billing. Also, originally, Newman was cast as Sundance and Redford was Butch. Depending on who you ask, either Redford or the Director recommended the switch. Newman strongly backed the casting of Redford, a relatively new and unknown star at the time. We are all glad he did. Their chemistry is fantastically brilliant, with colorful threads of wit, humor, and humanity thread throughout their relationship.
Newman, one of the finest actors of all time, projects a warm and friendly "old buddy, old pal" character as Butch Cassidy. This leader of the "Hole in the Wall gang" is devilish, ingenious, endeavoring, and affectionate (you will love the bicycle scene with Katherine Ross). His "Get rich quick" schemes have him and Sundance living life to the full hilt-alternating periods of lavish living, mishaps in bank/train robbing, and running/jumping/floating from a "out to kill" posse.
Redford's dry wit and serious demeanor nicely compliment Newman's character. No one delivers a line like Redford, you can almost hear his teeth grinding in the background. No scene illuminates this better than when they first arrive in Bolivia with dreams of wealth and easy living to find desolate farm land and a few goats. The wit is unsurpassed here.
2) Quotes/scenes that are classic, or at the very least pretty damn funny-
Butch Cassidy: What happened to the old bank? It was beautiful!
Guard: People kept robbing it.
Butch Cassidy: Small price to pay for beauty.
Butch: Boy, I got vision while the rest of the world wears bifocals.
Butch Cassidy: You jump first.
The Sundance Kid: No, I said.
Butch Cassidy: What's the matter with you?
The Sundance Kid: I can't swim!
Butch Cassidy: Why you crazy--the fall will probably kill you!
Sundance: Can you take the two on the right?
Butch: Kid, I think there's something I oughta tell ya. I never shot anybody before.
Sundance: One HELL of a time to tell me.
Butch Cassidy: If he'd just pay me what he's paying them to stop me robbing him, I'd stop robbing him!
4) If you buy the latest release of the film, there is a bonus "making of" feature at the end. It's a nice summary of how the cinematography, editing, music, and characters all came together to produce "one of the most popular screen westerns ever made, this Academy Award winning classic blends adventure, romance, and comedy to tell the true story of the West's most likeable outlaws."-(back cover) For example, the sepia toned frames of New York with Newman, Redford, and Ross superimposed give the film a vintage touch.
James Dean may have defined "cool" in "Rebel Without A Cause" but Newman and Redford certainly pull no punches in presenting their definition-their wit is beyond cool.
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