Mediocre at best

Rating: 4/10 (17 August 2010)

Comedic western based on actual people--Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford). They were outlaws in 1880s and robbed banks. The plot of the movie (what little there is of it) has them robbing banks, joking with each other nonstop, riding from the police, robbing banks, joking with each other etc etc etc. It's basically the same thing over and over. Newman and Redford work well with each other. They toss off one-liners (some that are quite funny) with ease in a care-free, easy-going manner. The problem is that's all their characters are--walking talking joke machines. No complexity or depth is ever shown. Poor Katharine Ross (who can be very good) is also shamefully wasted as Redford's girlfriend. Even worse Redford is terrible as the Kid--blank-faced throughout. Slow-moving and too long also and it turns needlessly violent at the end. There's also a near-rape in the film that's treated as a joke!
The movie has some good points--it starts out in sepia (a nice touch) and doesn't turn into color until about 10 minutes in; the bicycle sequence with Newman and Ross with the song "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" (an Oscar winner) playing; Newman is very good in his role and the lines are funny. But everything else is pretty bad. How this was a such a big hit is beyond me. A 4 all the way.