"I have vision and the rest of the world wears bifocals."

I can’t remember how old I was when I first saw Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid but I do remember liking it instantly. I think it was my mom who suggested I see it, as was the case with most of the memorable movies from my childhood. And whenever I happened to come across it on TV I would always stop and watch whichever scene happened to be playing; there were no boring ones. I finally picked up the recent Ultimate Collector’s Edition version of the film on DVD and watched it with some really good friends. Almost 40 years after its initial release, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid remains one of the best films in Hollywood.

Paul Newman and Robert Redford star as the title characters, respectively, and base their performances on the real life members of the Wild Bunch gang (though in the film the group is referred to as the Hole in the Wall gang due to Sam Peckinpah’s ‘The Wild Bunch’ film which was released the same year). Butch and Sundance’s gang was responsible for a number of bank and train robberies in the old west. They were eventually forced to flee to Bolivia when a highly skilled law enforcement posse began hunting down the infamous duo. The majority of the film retells the story of Butch and Sundance’s illegal exploits while avoiding “those guys”.

“Who are those guys?”

For someone who hasn’t actually seen this movie it probably sounds like any other western film. I haven’t seen all that many western movies but I would venture to say that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is unique in many ways. First and foremost is the amusing relationship between the main characters. Newman and Redford became famous for the entertaining quality of their on-screen partnerships and this movie is no exception. The banter between the two is the meat of this film and provides for many memorable and quotable lines. And the delivery is perfect with Newman and Redford giving a performance that would have them teaming up again for the Academy’s Best Picture winner ‘The Sting’ 4 years later.

In the spirit of Billy the Kid, Jesse James and Bonnie & Clyde the film instantly has you cheering for the bad guys, although they are portrayed in a light that makes you wonder who the real bad guys are. Despite their thieving, fighting, shooting and blowing things up, you can’t help but like Butch and Sundance. It makes the relentless hunt that much more engaging and you find yourself watching right up to the climactic ending, hoping the anti-heroes will ultimately make their escape.

“Think ya used enough dynamite there, Butch?”

Despite the fact that the film was first released in 1969, the restored DVD looks pretty darn good. Presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic widescreen the video image is colourful and clear throughout. I was actually surprised at the picture quality in a few of the scenes as I had always remembered the film as a grainy, washed-out, old-west flick. Now there are still some grainy scenes and I did notice a definite aging of the film, but overall it still looks good and doesn’t detract from the storyline at all. The Dolby Digital Stereo soundtrack is also quite good, considering the age of the film.

The Ultimate Collector’s Edition DVD comes with a second disk of special features including a couple of commentaries, behind the scenes featurettes, documentaries and interviews. All Of What Follows Is True: The Making of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is one of the better making-of documentaries I’ve seen for a film. Both actors, the writer and producers take a look back at Butch and Sundance and offer their thoughts on the huge popularity of the film. There are numerous insights and facts given about the movie and how it was originally conceived and created. Definitely worth a watch.

“Kid, next time I say “Let’s go someplace like Bolivia,” let’s GO someplace like Bolivia.”

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid went on to earn 7 Academy Award nominations and won 4 of them, including Best Song for ‘Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head’ (now you know where that song came from). Although it was initially panned by the critics it became a huge success and remains one of the most popular westerns of all time. If you haven’t seen this classic Newman/Redford film you owe it to yourself to watch it as soon as possible. Having said that, I get home around 5:00pm so bring your popcorn and we’ll starting watching at 5:01. Don’t be late; the opening scene is very good. So is the one right after it. And the one after that…and the next one…

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid gets 9 and ½ sticks of dynamite (out of 10).
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