Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

George Roy Hill

Writer:

William Goldman (written by)

Release Date:

24 October 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Crime | Drama | Western

Tagline:

Just for the fun of it!

Plot:

Two Western bank/train robbers flee to Bolivia when the law gets too close.

Plot Keywords:

Bolivia | Posse | Train | Prostitute | Explosion

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Paul Newman	...	Butch Cassidy
Robert Redford	...	The Sundance Kid
Katharine Ross	...	Etta Place
Strother Martin	...	Percy Garris
Henry Jones	...	Bike Salesman
Jeff Corey	...	Sheriff Bledsoe
George Furth	...	Woodcock
Cloris Leachman	...	Agnes
Ted Cassidy	...	Harvey Logan
Kenneth Mars	...	Marshal
Donnelly Rhodes	...	Macon
Jody Gilbert	...	Large Woman Train Passenger
Timothy Scott	...	News Carver
Don Keefer	...	Fireman
Charles Dierkop	...	Flat Nose Curry

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Colour:

Colour | Black and White (Sepiatone)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Norway:12 (video rating) (1983) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (original rating) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2000) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) (re-rating) (2000) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Argentina:13 | South Korea:15 | Brazil:12 | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Norway:16 (1969) | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:M (original rating) | USA:PG (1974 re-release) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Campanile Productions

Trivia:

Other actors that were under consideration for the role of Sundance were Steve McQueen and Warren Beatty. McQueen withdrew due to billing disagreements, and Beatty declined as he found the film too similar to Bonnie and Clyde (1967).

Goofs:

Factual errors: The locomotives that pull the trains are completely wrong for the time and place the movie is set. They are class K-28s, which have a very distinct and recognizable appearance. They were not produced until 1923, and were used exclusively by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad on their narrow gauge track in Colorado and New Mexico. (SOURCE: Model Railroader Cyclopedia Volume 1: Steam Locomotives, p. 81.)

Quotes:

[first lines]
Butch Cassidy: What happened to the old bank? It was beautiful.
Guard: People kept robbing it.
Butch Cassidy: Small price to pay for beauty.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Mallrats (1995)

Soundtrack:

RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN' ON MY HEAD

Newman and Redford at Their Best

"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 ****