A classic western and a classic buddy movie!

Rating: 9/10 (1 September 2012)

This film may be most famous for its Bolivian Army Ending but there is a fine film before its iconic end. The eponymous Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are a pair of outlaws who specialise in robbing banks in the American west along with their 'Hole in the Wall' gang. One day a member of the gang tries to usurp Butch's leadership of the gang and suggests that they should rob a train... twice; once on the outward journey once on the return! He is quickly put in his place but Butch and Sundance go ahead with the plan. All goes well until the second robbery; far from being unexpected as thought, the owner of the railroad has sent a second train behind the first and it is carrying a group of men that includes the toughest lawman and the best tracker in the country. The outlaws split up but those in pursuit stick with Butch and Sundance; following them through the night, across rocky terrain and up mountains. They only lose them when they jump from a cliff into a swirling torrent! After collecting Sundance's girlfriend Etta they head east to New York before catching a ship to Bolivia where Butch is convinced they will prosper. As it turns out life there is little different from what it was in America with the exception of the fact that here they don't speak the language and need Etta to help them. Inevitably they are cornered and Butch suggests they try Australia next!
This film is rightfully considered a classic; Paul Newman and Robert Redford are great as Butch and Sundance; and more importantly they work well together. Katherine Ross puts in a solid performance as Etta although her role is obviously much smaller. The action is gripping, especially in to prolonged chase scene... that might not have been dramatic but the way their pursuers couldn't be shaken led to a feeling that a deadly confrontation would be inevitable. I was surprised at just how much humour was to be found in the film; and thankfully it didn't feel forced; particularly funny moments include the scenes where Butch fights the man trying to take over his gang and the later scene where they confront another gang in Bolivia with very limited knowledge of the language! All this adds up to make a classic western and a classic buddy movie; something that all film lovers should watch at least once... although I suspect most will want to watch it more than that.