Not so much a western as an adventure movie

Rating: 7/10 (11 July 2005)

First of all I want you to know that I'm not really a fan of westerns. There are a couple of fine ones, like for instance "Once Upon a Time in the West" and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (the movies that are commonly known as spaghetti westerns, because they were made by Italians, this time Sergio Leone), but overall this just isn't my kind of movie. But from time to time I like to forget about my dislikes for a certain genre. When I've got the chance of watching a classic movie, no matter which genre, I will not think twice.
Butch and Sundance are the leaders of the 'Hole-in-the-Wall Gang', a gang that was called that way because of the way they committed their robberies. But the West is changing and is becoming more civilized - too civilized for criminals. When they have robbed a certain train a time too often, a special posse begins trailing them and is always able to stay right behind them, no matter where or how fast they run. When they finally know to escape after a daring act of bravery or foolishness (it just depends on the way you look at it), they come up with another fine plan: they will move to Bolivia, the land where life as a criminal is still great...
The acting in the movie is nice and I wouldn't be able to choose between Robert Redford and Paul Newman if I had to take one for best performance. Both did a very fine job with this movie, but they had some interesting characters to work with of course. Thanks to the story, which in my opinion can't be seen as a western, but more or less as an adventure movie, this movie is still known and famous. It's original and it was probably a very daring concept in the sixties, when most westerns were still about cowboys and Indians chasing and killing each other.
Despite the fact that I'm not too much a fan of westerns, I must say that I liked this one. It will never be my favorite movie, but I admit that I've seen a lot worse in the past. That's why I give this movie a 7/10. Especially people who love adventure movies will like this classic.