Understatted and Entertaining

Rating: 7/10 (23 April 2005)

Robert Redford made a number of films for director George Roy Hill in the late 1960s/early 1970s, two of them (this film, and 'The Sting') with fellow mega-star Paul Newman. Unlike 'The Sting', 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' ambles along with no particular regard to plot structure. These days, films are made faster and tauter than this, and the slow pace sometimes frustrates (especially during the dated, Burt Baccarach musical numbers); but it also has benefits, maximising the low key humour of the script which would surely fail if the pace was forced. I'm not so certain about Redfrod's casting, however: 'The Kid' is actually something of a grizzled character, and Redford arguably plays best as the fresh-faced young innocent: the moustache he wears gives the impression of concealing a permanent smirk. But the film is very easy to watch in spite of this, and is consistently entertaining, even if it lacks 'The Sting's sheer vitality.