the plot is conventional, but the talents of Newman, Redford, and Hill combined make it stand out above many of its fellow Westerns and earn it its place as a classic

Rating: 8/10 (24 December 2008)

Contained within the running time of George Roy Hill's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is one of the greatest classic moments in the Western movie genre. The two titular characters (Paul Newman and Robert Redford) are trapped between a sheer drop into a river and a 'super-posse' of the best trackers, sharpshooters, and lawmen money can hire. One wants to take his chances jumping into the river, the other wants to shoot it out with the posse and they bicker with each other like an old married couple, partially forgetting about the bounty hunters coming up behind them.
That's just one example of many classic moments in this memorable Western: a slightly fictionalized retelling of the true story of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the two leaders of the Hole in the Wall outlaw gang that gained notable notoriety during the 19th century and into the early 20th century as they robbed trains and banks, fled from lawmen, tried to evade captured by fleeing to Bolivia, and just finding themselves wrapped up in the same mess again. Not very much is known about the personalities of the real Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid, but Newman and Redford's performances bring to life two of the most memorable characters in film history.
Basically, we Butch, who is the brains of the outfit. He plots, his scams, he comes up with the wildest ideas to get out of their seemingly never-ending predicaments. He's also quite pacifistic, having never shot anybody before. And then there's Sundance, who is just the opposite. Quick on the draw, bulls-eye with the aim, pessimistic, ready to fight any day. There is no moment of true friendship seen between the two of them and we can't imagine how there ever could have been since they are constantly being locked up in arguments about what methods of escape they should take next. They seem attached to each other simply by the fact that they were the two more infamous outlaws of the time and had scrambled their way out of countless scenarios.
We have two really good actors under the command of a really good director and they are what really makes this movie work. The plot: it's nothing special. Just the basic, outlaws-on-the-run conventional tale but the talents of these three men make it work above others. There is also director Hill's effective blending between moments of silence and serenity and constant, ominous brooding omens of the worst kind. Such as the rumbling, storm-like sound effects used for the approach of the 'super-posse', which really heighten the efficacy of their presence since we seldom see them up close.
It's also a very well blend of action, adventure, humor, drama, and comedy all into one motion picture. No, it's not perfect and there are a few elements and scenes in the film that I am not in favor of, such as this sequence where nothing is shown on screen except a slide-show of photographs that really overstays its welcome at least for me. But putting these minor complaints aside, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a well-crafted Western and it continues to stand out as one of the most beloved classics of all time and it features one of the most exhilarating final gunfights I've ever seen.