...But Once They Ruled The West!

Rating: 9/10 (27 February 2004)

In the 1950s and 1960s, adventure movies were often Westerns. In later years, they were just as often buddy movies. "Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid" is kind of where one became the other. It's lasted because it's so good, and also because it did some things that were unusual at the time but became very customary soon after.
It's funny to read the comments from people knocking this film as a form of praising "The Wild Bunch." They were both westerns made in 1969, and the main characters in both are outlaws, but there's not much else they have in common other than Strother Martin and Latinos dying in slo-mo. Disparaging "Butch Cassidy" because it's not "Wild Bunch" is like attacking "Star Wars" for not being "Gone With The Wind."
I think "Wild Bunch" is great, too, but in a much different way, tough, mean, and brutal. "Butch Cassidy" is a sunny charmer, aimed squarely at the mainstream but with nice touches throughout that surprise you with their understated brilliance. The opening kinescope sequence; the sepia washing into the blue horizon as Butch and Sundance ride away from the card game; the still photograph section during the trip to New York, and especially the powerful last shot. There's nothing crazy or clever about the film, except when you realize it was designed to attract theater goers and did so despite taking so many chances within its conventional form.
The music riles some. You can read them all here. "Bacharach and David were totally wrong for this type of movie, what's with all those 'Dating Game' tunes, I fast-forward through the bicycle part, etc." As Sundance would say of these criticisms: "Bitch, bitch, bitch!" "Butch Cassidy" works because it is anachronistic. It's not cinema verite, it's not trying to seem real for a second. The kinescope bit at the beginning is your clue, this is a western movie that's fully aware of its nature as a movie, and expects the same from the audience.
That being said, I'd like to add that the bicycle sequence is my favorite part, because of the great song, the wordless interaction of Paul Newman and Katharine Ross, the way the sunlight dapples the lace curtains and the caramel locks of Etta's hair. It's also something else, too, the one moment of peace Butch gets and an oddly effective grace note in his otherwise miserable life. The look he gives the bull after crashing through the fence is not just cute but summarizes in one priceless instant Butch's approach to life's travails throughout the film.
I used to think the chase part went on too long, but now I just sit back and enjoy the banter, and the gorgeous scenery. (I don't know where Conrad Hall shot this picture, but I have a hard time believing it was anywhere on Planet Earth.) Nothing else to complain about with this one, nothing.
Obviously the most appealing aspect of this film are the two leads. Its a happy miracle that with all the big names being bandied around, we ended up with Newman and Robert Redford. Warren Beatty and Steve McQueen wouldn't have worked not because of inferior acting skills but inferior chemistry. Newman and Redford work so well with each other because they aren't competing but playing off each other. They are actors, and they have egos, but there's no stench of narcissism connected to this movie. That's why it's so enjoyable even through the slow stretches, and why it's a shame Newman and Redford only did one other movie together after this.
George Roy Hill directed that movie, "The Sting," as well as this, and it's bewildering how little credit he seems to get for his work. Sure, he won an Oscar for "The Sting," and was nominated for one for this, but he's nearly forgotten today. Maybe it's because he was so versatile. Hill made "Slap Shot" and "The World Of Henry Orient;" two films as far apart as any in terms of demographic appeal. "Butch Cassidy" is one of the most inventive, successful mainstream films ever made, and it's inventive and successful because Hill was the man with the plan behind it.
One other thing: If you like this movie but don't have this on DVD, get it. If you don't have a DVD player, it's worth having for the "Butch" DVD alone. It's a generously front-loaded item featuring gorgeous imaging, an informative commentary track, penetrating interviews with all the stars looking back, and most especially a documentary Hill narrated a year after the film came out which details the many challenges he confronted making this movie. Hill's final line in that documentary is a gem!