Not your traditional western.

Rating: 10/10 (17 March 2004)

Warning: Some spoilers!
It is an important clarification to make that 'Butch Cassidy' thrives on legend, on not being too realistic, but balancing realism and fantasy over a thin line. This is not your John Ford western (noble and loving of the land), nor is it your Sam Peckinpah western (realistic and bloody), nor is it your Sergio Leone western (gritty and stylish). It is in a class all its own, courtesy of George Roy Hill, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Conrad Hall, and, of course, Burt Bacharach, who won the Academy Award for best score.
The obvious story is that of the two "aging bandits" (their not really either), who escape from the law. There are those memorable moments, such as the train robbery with a little too much dynamite (and the employee of Mr. E.H. Harriman), the chase into the rocks ("Who are those guys?"), and the "straight" job working for a mine in Bolivia (and the owner who really loves his tobacco). But the more subtle draw to the story, in my opinion, is the legend behind it. There are little points made like "Most of What Follows Is True", but the biggest point is made in the last still frame. Sure we see them run out, and sure we hear the Bolivian captain yell "Fire!", but can you really say they are killed? Remember, these guys are the two-bit legends of the west, resourcful in all they do. That is the beauty of this film-they're real, but not over-the-top real.
The cinematography is absolutely magnificant (point-in-case: the bicycle seen where the camera is on the other side of an old fence, allowing some light to be seen), the music is poignant and appropriate (yes, even the scatting singers-it progresses the plot well), and, of course, the pitch-perfect chemistry between the witty Newman, and the tough Redford. This one is a must; a one of a kind!