#50 / #73
Winner of 4 Academy Awards.
Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and Sundance (Robert Redford) rob trains and banks, and run from the law.
Sarah: If you have never seen this movie, you might be surprised how funny it is. Goldman's script is constantly witty and fun. Butch and Sundance are so cool that I wish I could be like Etta Place (Katharine Ross) and run off with them.
The strength of this film lies in its charm, which mostly comes from its two leads. Redford was originally supposed to play Butch, while Newman was cast to play Sundance. They wisely switched, and their performances are perfect. Newman is cool and classy as Butch, and Redford is broody and sarcastic as Sundance. Their charisma carries you through the film, and the ending comes as a punch in the stomach.
Eddie: I feel like my reviews are becoming repetitive, because they all tout the lead actors' coolness. Well, it's not my fault that the AFI chose films that feature such cool actors in such charming roles. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID doubles our dosage of cool with Newman and Redford, possibly the greatest duo in any movie ever filmed. In the same way that the original STAR WARS is about a hippie '70s kid flouting authority, BUTCH CASSIDY follows two 1960s rebels who don't give a damn what society expects of them. They live life on the run, and for 112 minutes, we sit enthralled by their devil-may-care lifestyles. BUTCH CASSIDY is to the 1960s what BOTTLE ROCKET is to the 1990s. I recommend them both, but Conrad Hall's cinematography and the Newman/Redford tandem surpass the bumbling charm of Wes Anderson and the Wilson brothers.
Why You Should See It: Butch takes Etta on a bicycle ride to "Raindrops keep falling on my head." It's one of cinema's most whimsical and delightful moments.
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