Impressive western film

Rating: 9/10 (4 September 2008)

To tell the truth, there are very few western films that I actually see. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" is a rare exception. This film truly is not your average western. For one thing, the film does not revolve around good guys vs. bad guys the entire time. It's more of a story about Butch and Sundance themselves. The movie can be humorous at times, throwing in tons of little bits of intelligent verbal comedy, as most great films throughout time have been able to do. Robert Redford shows a side of brilliant acting with lines such as those in his "Can I move?" scene in which he cannot simply stand still and shoot his target. Paul Newman is also especially good, interjecting some wit and sarcasm that make this film so enjoyable. This movie also introduced "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on my Head," one of the best original songs in movie history. Though I like Newman and Redford's second film together ("The Sting") even better, this is still a great film on its own. Perhaps it's only the film's ending that makes this movie less than perfect for me. Though it is more historically accurate, it does provide somewhat of a sense of disappointment here. Nevertheless, the rest of the film is nearly perfect, very enjoyable and worthwhile. A classic, and one of the best films of the 60s.
***1/2 out of ****